The Night Before
by Nature'sAngel
Summary: COMPLETE! Harry and Draco are finally happy together. What will the return of Ron mean to all of this? And why has the Ministry taken interest? Takes place after Hogwarts. Enjoy. M for language and some situations. Review please! H/D SLASH.
1. Breathe

Harry woke up groggily, searching for his glasses on the nightstand. After fumbling around for a bit, his hand finally came in contact with the perfectly round black glasses that had become Harry's trademark for many years. He looked over at the clock. _7:34_. Not bad. He was about to get up when he noticed another arm draped over his waist. Smiling to himself, remembering the night before, Harry carefully lifted the limp arm and placed it back with its owner; the gorgeous Draco Malfoy.

Harry sat up at the edge of the bed staring lovingly at his boyfriend. _He looks so angelic,_ He thought to himself. _Too bad I can't seem to wipe that scowl off his face when he's awake._ Harry smirked at the idea of a sweet and sensitive Malfoy during the day with people around. That was as possible as Dumbledore jet skiing. The idea almost made Harry laugh out loud, but then a low grumble reminded him that it was morning and breakfast was in order. Harry leaned over to kiss his lover good morning, but then drew back knowing that the last thing he wanted was a cranky Malfoy. _Oh well_ he thought. _I'll get my kiss later._

Dressing quietly but quickly, Harry tore himself away from the bedroom to go make breakfast. He sighed as he entered the incredibly messy kitchen. Yes, it was a small and busy apartment, but why couldn't someone **other** than himself remember to clean up once in a while?

Searching as silently as possible, Harry looked for a pan to cook eggs in. Luckily, one was found that was clean and not under the mountain of assorted cooking items. As he began to crack the eggs, Harry started thinking about the wild night he had. Let's just say it involved a drunken Draco, 4 kegs of beer, and an incredibly inappropriate drinking game. Here was The-Boy-Who-Lived, drinking his life away at age 24. Harry started to frown. _I don't remember Draco loving the game. Was it wrong to push him so hard? What if I did something really stupid? What if he HATES me now?!? Oh my god. How am I going to face him this morning? _His usual tendency to panic at the slightest thought made his hands start to shake. The pan rattled a bit causing a groan to emit from the bedroom. _Shit_ he thought. _Now I've done it._

In his mind, Harry raced through a million different ways to apologize to Malfoy. He tried to make himself prepared for what his "former lover" was going to accuse him of doing. The shuffling of feet snapped Harry's attention back to reality and he pretended to be in complete focus with his now burning eggs. Harry quickly moved the pan to a different part of the stove and stood there, closing his eyes and prepping himself to the blow up he was about to face. But to his surprise, an arm wrapped around his waist, snaking it's self around to the other hip. Another arm made its way around Harry's chest. The slow embrace took Harry off guard and he blinked seeing Draco's arms all around him. "Good morning" Harry shyly said, not knowing what the response would be. A tighter hug and a slow, love-filled kiss on Harry's neck told him that everything was going to be ok.


	2. Thorns

"Hungry

"Hungry?"

Harry looked down at the pitiful state of the eggs he was so careless with. _Even if I hadn't eaten in two days I wouldn't want these…_

Draco just hummed a quiet refusal and shuffled over to the coffee maker. With a lazy wave of his hand over the pot, it started filling up with hot coffee. Harry grimaced.

"You know, just because we can use magic whenever we want doesn't mean you can't have a go at doing it the Muggle way" he suggested quietly.

Even though Harry's voice was soft, Draco made a pained noise in the back of his throat. He bent over the counter and let his head drop into his hands.

"No more talking, please" he mumbled.

Harry took the now full coffee pot and poured them both a cup. He pushed one slightly toward the bent figure with an apologetic look on his face. "You'd think they would have created some spell to get rid of hangovers by now."

Draco scoffed and took the cup without looking up. "You'd think I would know my limit by now."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, but it's a special occasion. You're allowed to let yourself go."

Stormy blue eyes met emerald green as Draco flashed Harry his favorite smirk.

"Indeed. A very special occasion." He straightened up and placed graceful hands on Harry's hips, pulling him forward. Harry bent his head down automatically to meet Draco's approaching lips. They met gently at first, like they had hundreds of times before. Draco lightly placed a hand on the back of his boyfriend's neck, pulling him in to a much more passionate kiss, his bare chest against Harry's baggy t-shirt.

"Happy one year, love." Draco murmured against his lips.

Harry's smile broadened ridiculously. Draco chuckled and kissed him once more before taking his hand and leading him to the couch. Harry plopped down on one end and set his feet up on the glass coffee table, crossing one over the other and blocking Draco's path. Draco raised an eyebrow at him and easily stepped over the blockade. He lay horizontally on the cream colored couch, positioning himself so his head was in Harry's lap and his legs draped over the other arm of the couch. The cup he held right over his stomach, the bottom too hot to touch his sensitive skin.

He closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the coffee cup and Harry's fingers gently running through his hair cause him to forget about his pounding headache. He didn't care much for being on the receiving end of affection like this. It made him feel like the weaker partner. He liked being the dominant one in the relationship. But maybe just this once he could let that go...and it felt so nice…

The stopped motion of Harry's fingers interrupted Draco's thoughts. _Daydreaming again. _Without opening his eyes he tapped Harry's arm to bring him back to reality. The sudden contact made Harry jump, causing Draco to almost spill his coffee on himself.

"Bloody hell, Harry! I wasn't hoping for third-degree burn today!" He sat up quickly and put the cup on the table before turning to his lover and crossing his arms in annoyance.

"S-sorry Drake. Just startled me. You ok?" Harry's eyes met Draco's briefly before shifting away. Draco sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get any explanation unless he asked.

_Emo Boy Who Lived…too emotional for his own good. _It was one of the quirks Draco found kind of endearing about him, though.

He shifted closer to Harry until his face was inches away from his own. When Harry refused to look at him, Draco placed one pale finger under his chin so he could stare unnervingly at those anxious eyes behind glass.

"What." He demanded flatly. Harry opened his mouth a few times to answer, but no sound came out. Finally he took a breath.

"I, um, tonight being, you know, special 'n everything, um, I, um…Ikindainvitedsomepeopleover." Harry spluttered. Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Sorry. Didn't quite catch that last part. You did _what_?" Harry tried to look down at his hands, but Draco kept a firm grasp on his chin, forcing their eyes to meet.

"I…I invited a few people over. You know, to celebrate. Then maybe I thought we could all go out to dinner?"

Draco looked at him warily. He knew there was more to this than a simple dinner with friends. "Okay, fine. Who's coming?"

Harry bit his lip. "Um, Seamus, Susan, Neville, Ginny possibly," Draco glared at him when he mentioned Ginny's name, causing him to falter. "Umm, yeah, Ginny, and, um, Hermione." He practically whispered his best friend's name and looked at Draco uneasily.

Draco's face softened. "Hun, is that what you were so worked up about? I've taken quite a liking to Granger, you know. She's not so bad once you get passed her 'Queen Bitch of Knowledge' attitude. What's wrong?"

Harry looked like he was going to be sick. Draco slid over and straddled his lap, cupping both sides of Harry's face with his cool hands. "Ron's coming too" he whispered even quieter than before.

Draco's hands dropped to his sides immediately. Through his mind flashed a dozen scenes of pain and torment. His blue grey eyes turned to cold steel, blazing and furious.

"Fuck. No."


	3. Fire's Fury

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Slumped on the floor, leaning against the door frame, Harry was at his wit's end. Behind the locked door he had been staring at for an hour, he could hear the love of his life ripping the bedroom apart in absolute fury. Harry tried to explain himself for the millionth time.

"Draco, honey, can you please stop and listen to me? This was not my idea! I didn't know he was back. I thought Charlie was going to keep him out in Ireland longer. I swear I didn't plan this!"

The crash of empty drawers hitting the floor drowned out Harry's pleading voice.

"He got in touch with Hermione when he got back and she thought she would take him along tonight. She knows the three of us didn't end on the best note when he left. She just wants things to be okay between us!"

There was a brief moment of silence from behind the door that was quickly replaced with Draco shrieking "That BITCH!" an octave higher than normal. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal a flustered Draco, snarling and red with anger.

"And honestly, I want things to be okay between Ron and me, too." Harry admitted quietly. Draco made to slam the door, but Harry quickly stopped it with his hand. "You don't have to kiss and make up, I don't care. I just want to be able to mention his name again without you going ballistic on me."

Draco sighed heavily and dropped his slightly mussed platinum blonde head. "He hurt us both, Harry. With you it was physical. I got over what he did to my family, but I will _never_ forgive him for what he did to you. Just the _thought _of seeing him again, of seeing his face and being close enough that I could just...DAMMIT!" With another shriek, Draco slammed the door shut again and threw something at it. Harry winced as he heard glass hit the door and shatter, wondering if it was something valuable.

"Drake? Baby, what are you looking for?"

"My fucking WAND, Potter! Where the fuck is my fucking WAND?!"

Harry's eyes widened at the thought of a wand back in Draco's hand. The last time he used one, it was the last confrontation with Ron. He had gotten so upset that night, when Ron's burning spell left Harry scarred and writhing in pain. Draco had lunged at him the moment sparks left his wand, Draco's own at Ron's throat so swiftly, so dangerously close to killing him right then and there…

The feeling of being watched brought Harry back from his thoughts. All noise had ceased and he turned to see Draco standing in the doorway, a worried and pained look on his face. Slowly, Draco moved to stand toe-to-toe with his lover, gently pulling his face closer to his own. He nimbly slid off Harry's glasses and lightly brushed his lips over each closed eye, slightly damp with tears at thoughts of past events. When Harry's eyes fluttered open, Draco was staring at him intensely.

"I love you, and I am not going to let him hurt you again. Understand?" Harry just nodded. Draco pressed his lips against his, kissing him deeply. Harry embraced Draco tightly, pulling him closer, feeling the intense need to be closer to him, to convince himself that what Draco said was true.

Without a word, Draco removed Harry's hands from his back. He went back inside the bedroom, rummaged around a bit and came out with a white long-sleeved shirt. He slipped it on before kissing Harry's cheek.

"I'm going for a walk. Be back soon. I'll make lunch for the both of us, okay?"

Harry nodded silently again and watched his boyfriend walk out the door. He counted. 30 seconds went by. He turned toward the bedroom and tentatively pushed the door open further. The sight made him cringe. The dresser had been emptied and turned over, pillows were everywhere, clothes were strewn all over the floor, and the night tables had been knocked over. Harry's heart stopped when he saw the mattress overturned and laying on the side of the bed. He carefully picked his way around glass, clothes and miscellaneous objects, making his way toward the wooden bed frame. He pried at one of the boards on the bottom of the frame with his fingers. It came loose with a sudden jerk. Harry felt around the empty space until his fingers closed around two long, carved wooden sticks.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Both wands were still there.


	4. Scars

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

**Draco Malfoy's point of view**

_Damn it's cold_.

I wrapped my arms tightly across my chest and started down the sloped sidewalk. A walk was definitely not the best idea, but I wasn't going to get any thinking done with Harry hovering over me all the time. By the time I reached the end of the sidewalk, the sun had started to warm me up. I jogged across the street to the start of my usual route.

I kept my thoughts quiet at first, staring intently at my feet as they moved and crunched over blood red and bright orange leaves. I breathed in the crisp, cold air and listened to the silence autumn tends to bring. This was not going to be an easy day. Images of that…that _weasel _kept flashing though my mind. That fucking red headed weasel! How _dare_ he come back after what he did. Just the thought of him being in the same _country_ as Harry…

_He's not going to hurt my Harry again_, I vowed possessively. _If he so much as makes a move toward him, I swear to God…_My teeth were clenched so hard, it sent my head pounding again. My hands were balled into tight fists. This wasn't helping. I needed a plan. I would not be unprepared incase something goes wrong tonight.

I looked around, realizing I had gone much farther than I wanted to. I recognized the tiny park I was standing in. It was beautiful in the summertime and I took Harry here on a surprise date. The memory of that day almost made me smile. I picked one of the park benches facing a small pond and looked around.

_Still hasn't lost its beauty. _

I sighed sadly, picking up a crimson leaf and twirling the stem with my fingers. I knew I couldn't do much about Weasly without my wand. Where the hell had I put it? It's been what, almost a year since I last used it? I twirled the leaf faster, recalling the last night I used it…

--_flashback_--

"WEASLY!!"

I was scratching, clawing at the arms that held me back from ripping the wizard's throat out. He was so close, just a few feet away. If I could just raise my hand that held my wand, this could all be over. I would get my revenge. I wanted to see his blood.

"It had to be done, Malfoy!" the red headed figure shouted back. His voice was steady and even, but his face, white with fear, gave him away. Even with his wand pointed at me, I knew he'd never have the guts to try anything. He was much too weak for that.

I struggled harder against the body that bound me from behind, keeping me from using any of the horrible spells that flipped through my mind. Harry was struggling just as much, trying to keep me in place.

"NO! Let me go! Let me KILL HIM!!"

Harry had his mouth to my ear, whispering words, trying to calm me down. I didn't hear any of them. All I heard was the Killing Curse repeating itself over and over in my head, just waiting to be released off my tongue. If only I could move my damn arm!

"Your father has to pay for his crimes, Malfoy." How dare the weasel try to justify his actions! Stupid fucking Mudblood-lover! "With any luck, he'll rot away in Azkaban for the rest of his life."

I cried out in pure rage, making a leap for him. Harry took this opportunity and pulled me down to my knees. I doubled over, tears stinging my eyes. No! I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to give Weasly the satisfaction.

"Get off me, Potter." I hissed. I didn't want to hurt Harry, but he was doing a pretty damn good job at keeping my wand pointed at the ground, and I was going to do anything to get it free.

"Please, Draco," he begged, "don't do something you're going to regret."

Harry sounded scared. If only he knew what I would do to his best friend if he ever let go of me…

"Regret?" I spat back, "The only thing I'm going to regret is if I'm not standing over Weasly's dead body by the end of this!"

"Do your worst." Ron taunted darkly. All I needed was an invitation. I got it.

I jammed my elbow back as hard as I could into Harry's ribcage. With a surprised gasp of pain he fell backwards, releasing me enough so I could shove his restricting arms away from me. I jumped up from my crouch and aimed my wand directly at the heart of the scared little wizard in front of me. _Time to hear the weasel scream_…

I had just opened my mouth to shout the deadliest curse when a hard blast of hot air blew through me. I choked on my words, my mouth and throat going dry. I had enough time to blink in surprise before seeing a large, swirling vortex of flames coming straight for me. I couldn't move. It felt like my body had gone numb. All I could think was, _Damn, he's fast_. Then I was on my back.

My head smacking against the ground jolted me back into control of my body. I quickly looked over my body to see where the fire had hit me. I felt so hot, like my skin was burning up. It took me less than a second to realize that it wasn't me who was on fire.

I watched in horror as Harry fell to the ground in front of me, screeching and writhing in pain, the flames on his back growing taller with ever twitch of his body. The heat radiating off him was so intense. I couldn't get close to him. He was rolling on his back trying desperately to put out the flames, but they only increased in size. His fingers dug into the dirt, crying in sheer agony for help. And then, just like that, the fire was gone.

Harry just lay there, limp, sobbing and twitching. I couldn't speak. I slowly tore my gaze away from the helpless body that had saved me, to glare daggers at his so called "best friend". Weasly's mouth was hanging open in shock over what he did, knowing full well his counter curse wouldn't do anything to take back the deeper hurt he had caused Harry.

"You…you son of a bitch." I managed to snarl through clenched teeth. I was blind with fury. All I could see was Weasly. The rest blurred out of focus.

I launched myself at him, yanking him down by the hair and twisting the point of my wand hard against his throat. Simply killing him wasn't enough now. Torture was absolute.

Before I could even begin to put my curses in order, there was a loud _pop!_ and he was gone. Aparated out of my grasp. My fingers closed tightly around air into a clenched fist.

"Coward!" I shouted to the sky, hearing my voice echo among the trees. One day, Weasly was going to pay. I was going to make sure of that.

-- --

Three short beeps from my watch brought me back from my thoughts. 11 o'clock. I sighed and looked down at the leaf now turned to ash in my hand. I let the crumbled leaf blow away with the wind, watching it swirl away. I still didn't have a plan, but I wasn't bothered by it. I would do whatever I had to when the time came. For a few more minutes I sat in silence, then got up and started walking back home.


	5. Past Resurfaced

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

-- --

"Drake, I think the soup's burning."

"Mm" was Draco's only answer. He was quite comfortable sitting on the counter with his legs wrapped around Harry's waist, and no tiny matter like slightly charred soup was going to tear him away from that.

He reclaimed Harry's mouth with his own, moving his lips passionately against his. One hand he kept secured at the back of Harry's head, curling his fingers around tufts of his constantly messy black hair. The other hand hovered next to the pot of soup, his index finger working lazy circles as the wooden spoon followed, stirring the soup at its leisure. Harry's hands ventured across the top of Draco's legs, following them to his waist and back in a gentle caressing motion. As much as he hated to, he broke the kiss again to turn and look at the bubbling pot.

"Really, that's an unnatural amount of steam. This isn't a potion cauldron!"

Refusing to allow his mouth to leave Harry's skin, Draco kissed and nipped along his jaw and neck, ignoring Harry's worried claims.

"Seriously, I think it's done." Harry persisted.

"It's done when I say it's done." Draco replied silkily against the smooth curve of the neck his mouth was paying so much attention to.

"Draco!" The platinum blonde let out a frustrated sigh.

"Do you ever stop talking?" he grumbled.

Pushing Harry away and sliding gracefully off the counter, Draco swiftly turned off the gas. Two plates he set on the table, then with a swish and wave of his hand, slices of bread found their way out of a drawer and onto the plates. Various sandwich materials came out of the refrigerator and assembled themselves perfectly on top of one another on the bread. He poured two bowls of the soup and set them next to the finely crafted sandwiches. Harry sat down at one of the set places and grinned up at his boyfriend's smug face.

"I thought you were going to _make_ me lunch." Harry said with a laugh.

Draco's eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? I just did!"

Harry shook his head and pointed at the food in front of him. "You just used magic to do all this. Didn't do a single thing by hand. What kind of romantic lunch is that?"

"Fine." Draco growled as he turned back to one of the cupboards. He searched until he found a small tin of toothpicks, one of which he took out and brought back to the table. He raised the toothpick high before bringing it down right in the middle of the bread.

"There you go." He said flatly, taking his seat across the table.

Harry stared down at the toothpick in mock disbelief, a playful pout on his lips. "You speared my sandwich…"

A slight smile pulled at the corners of Draco's mouth. "That's all the romance you're getting from me when it comes to food, I'm afraid."

"Oh be still my beating heart!" Harry replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Draco raised an eyebrow at him. "Just eat the food, Harry."

-- --

It was around 3 o'clock, and Draco was playing one of his favorite games called, 'Critique Every One of Harry's Outfits Before He Gives Up And Allows Me Dress Him'. Harry's 5th change of clothes had Draco snorting with laughter. It consisted of a tight forest green turtleneck and khaki pants. Harry crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Alright, what's wrong with _this_ one?"

"You look…like a tree!" Draco gasped between bursts of laughter.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You know, _you_ picked this shirt out! Last week you said it looked good on me!" He loved seeing Draco laugh like this, but really, did it always have to be at his expense?

Shaking with silent spasms of mirth, Draco dismissed Harry with a wave of his hand, sending him back into the bedroom to change yet again. After a few minutes, and Draco had regained control of himself, Harry walked the catwalk again to show off his new ensemble of his favorite baggy brown t-shirt with black slacks. He stopped mid-step though, when he saw Draco's reaction. It was a look of utter disgust. _I'm gonna take that face as a 'no'…_

"Do we not own at least a dozen mirrors, Harry?" Draco asked in horror.

"Yes, we do, because you are unbelievably vain!"

"Well do you even know where they _are_? They're not just there for my health!"

Draco strode over to where Harry stood and placed his hands on his chest, pushing him back into the bedroom. "Damn, love, what on earth would you do without me?" he grinned slyly.

"Probably have a lot more time to do important things instead of wasting it away on how I look." Harry teased with a smile.

Draco pushed him forward until he fell back onto the bed, then he held out his hand for Harry's shirt. Harry pouted in return.

"Can't you just find something to go with this shirt? I want to wear it tonight."

"The hell you are!" Draco leapt lightly next to Harry, wrestling him until he was finally able to pin his shoulders down against the bed. He straddled his hips triumphantly.

"You're not wearing this shirt." He stated fiercely.

Harry gazed into his eyes. They were an intense steel blue. He was about to give in when he saw Draco smiling wickedly. It made him think better about it and decided to play the situation for all he could get.

"You'll have to take it off me then." He challenged in a low voice.

Draco's eyes flashed as he grabbed Harry's wrists and forced them above his head. He kissed him forcefully, causing Harry's back to arch slightly into him. He ran his teeth over his bottom lip, biting it gently, making Harry let out a quiet gasp.

"Your…Slytherin moves won't sway me this time, Malfoy." Harry breathed, using an old favorite taunt.

"Oh, no?" Draco replied devilishly, letting gravity press him closer to the body beneath him. "Funny. They've always worked wonders before."

He rocked his hips hard against Harry's once, getting from him an involuntary groan. Harry fought against the restraints that were Draco's hands, but he had an iron grip that refused to budge.

"Don't make me use a binding spell on you." he warned mischievously, sending a quick shiver up Harry's spine.

He found Harry's weak spot on the crook of his neck, kissing and nipping at it until the struggling stopped altogether and all he could hear was his heavy breathing. Feeling confident enough that he wouldn't try anything, Draco released Harry's wrists and slipped his hands under the slightly faded brown shirt, stroking his stomach with his fingertips. Harry shivered happily again, somehow resisting the powerful urge to grab Draco and take him right then and there.

Pale fingers snaked up over the dramatic rise and fall of his chest, bringing his shirt up with them. The shirt was tugged easily over his head, and Draco sat up to admire the half naked body he'd come to care so much about.

The blonde wizard grinned. "I win again."

He repositioned himself so he could run his hands, mouth and tongue slowly down his chest and stomach, leaving a few bite marks behind. Harry couldn't help but close his eyes moan in a mix of pain and pleasure. Draco's lips grazed the exposed area just above the button of his pants, fingers caressing the skin of his waist.

Then he stopped. His right hand slowly followed the curved edge where the texture of Harry's skin changed. With sad eyes he followed the thick burn scar across his hip until it disappeared behind his back. Harry moved his hands out of place to lay one reassuringly on top of Draco's.

"It'll be ok, Drake." He said quietly. Draco's jaw set.

"No, not tonight it won't be." He whispered, his sadness turning into anger.

He shoved himself off the bed and snatched some of his clothes up off the floor from his previous tantrum. He picked up Harry's green turtleneck and tossed it on the bed.

"That with your pants." He muttered before stalking out of the bedroom and locking himself in the bathroom.

Harry sighed and lay quietly on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

_When will life leave us alone?_

-- --


	6. Double Take

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

You guys are pretty much making my life with all the hits I'm getting :) Thanks so much! Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll keep up my end of the bargain with many more (hopefully) awesome chapters. Reviews really would make my life even more complete. Just throwing that out there.

-- --

**Harry Potter's point of view**

It was like old times again.

I can't remember how long it had been since we had this many friends from Hogwarts over, together. Laughter filled the whole apartment as we recalled stories of school and poked fun at each other, reliving the best times of our lives.

Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas (invited immediately after he called me saying he was in town) were animatedly recounting one of the countless pranks they had pulled on one of our fellow Gryffindors. Seamus' heavy Irish accent carried easily over his talkative audience. We roared with laughter at his impression of Neville's face when he found a Blast-Ended Skrewt at the bottom of his bed. Neville Longbottom chuckled sheepishly, his face going slightly red. Susan Bones stood silently next to him, hearing most of these stories for the first time and grinning broadly.

Susan was an unexpected member of our group, being so shy and soft-spoken. Despite not spending a great deal of time with her at school (except during classes), she was one of the few who always kept in touch after our last year. She was, without a doubt, the sweetest and most thoughtful woman any of us had ever met. We always welcomed her enthusiastically to any group gathering. I could see her still sending me Christmas and birthday cards 20 years from now.

Ginny did not come, to Draco's delight. With one less Weasly in our small apartment, he was less likely to cause a scene. He was sitting on the edge of one of our armchairs next to Seamus, listening intently and laughing along with the rest of them as another story came to a close. It almost fooled me, the way he acted, and I could swear he was having a great time. I had been watching him though, and he hadn't stopped slowly wringing his hands since the first guest rang the doorbell. He'd hardly said anything all night, besides the laughter and occasional comment. When he thought no one was looking, his smile turned down slightly, fixing itself when the attention was brought back in his direction. This had me worried and my stomach was doing flips in anticipation for our last two guests…

"…butcha healed pretty quickly in th' end, right Harry?"

My name jerked me back into the conversation. The smile on Seamus' face was huge.

"Yeah, considering I was in the hospital wing for two days." I answered sarcastically.

He snickered and rolled his eyes. "Aw, c'mon Harry, it was all in good fun!"

I slapped his arm jokingly. "Eating exploding gum wasn't fun at all! I spent two days in the hospital wing while Madame Pomfrey reattached three of my teeth!"

They howled in amusement and even Draco stepped out of his controlled demeanor for a moment to lean back in his chair, shaking with laughter. I couldn't help but join them. It felt so right to have everyone around again. Well, almost everyone.

I took out my phone and flipped it open, checking for any messages from Hermione. They were half an hour late. I could feel Draco's eyes on me, watching my every move. I met his eyes and briefly shook my head. His tensed posture relaxed slightly and turned his attention back to the conversation.

This was getting ridiculous. Why was I so on edge about seeing Ron again? It's not like he had_ meant_ to hurt me, right?

I started feeling warm, like someone had just turned on the heat. _Just my nerves_ I told myself. What did I have to be nervous about anyway? It's been almost a year since the incident, so why…

I wasn't warm anymore. I was unbelievably hot. My back felt like I was lying on top of a stove. I could feel myself starting to sweat. I turned to walk to the bathroom, thinking I was becoming ill, when a scorching, fiery pain shot up from the start of my burn scar on my right hip to my left shoulder. I gasped sharply, dropping my phone in alarm. It felt like someone had taken a branding iron and dragged it along my skin. Draco was at my side immediately putting my face in his hands, questioning me with his eyes and a worried look on his face.

"My back," I whimpered, "it feels like it's on fire."

He nimbly slid his hand up the back of my shirt, feeling around my skin. His hand felt like ice the first time he touched my back, but it quickly felt just as hot as the rest of me. My body was shaking. I felt like I had lost control.

"It feels fine to me, love." He answered, an edge of panic in his voice. His eyes were shifting all over my face, his own creased with worry. I could tell he was trying to figure out how to help, but nothing was coming to mind. He didn't know what to do.

Then, out of nowhere, the pain was gone. Unfortunately, so was all of my strength. I fell forward into Draco's arms with a sigh of relief and exhaustion.

Several people's voices called out at once. "Harry?!"

I tried to answer them all, but I couldn't get my voice loud enough for anyone but Draco to hear. "It's ok. I'm fine. It's gone."

Draco stood me up carefully, his hands out and ready to catch me again. I gained my control back quickly and walked over to one of the chairs, sitting down heavily. Everyone stared at me looking just as confused as I was.

_What just happened?_

Like an answer to my thought, the doorbell rang. Everyone froze while I made to stand up and answer it. Draco's hand was suddenly at my shoulder, trying to push me back down.

"Harry…" he started to protest, but I held up a hand to stop him.

He did not need to be the first person Ron saw. I shuddered at the thought of what might happen once the two of them are in the room together, but I quickly shoved it aside and walked toward the door. It felt like my heart was in my throat.

I had barely opened the door when I heard a girlish squeal and was blinded by an attack hug. I embraced the woman warmly, giggling along with her.

"Hermione!"

I kissed my best friend on the cheek and greeted her with a huge smile, which I got in return.

"I've missed you so much, Harry! It's been so long!"

It really had been a long time since we had seen each other. I felt bad about it. _Ok, _I promised myself, _if everyone walks away from this night alive, I'll try to spend more time with Hermione, and everyone else too._

I looked over Hermione's beaming face before glancing quickly over her shoulder.

"Is…?"

"By the car," she answered quietly, knowing what I was going to ask. "He refuses to come inside."

I nodded and stepped around her, squeezing her hand briefly. She put a hand on my shoulder for a second before entering the apartment, greeted excitedly by everyone inside. Then the door was shut. I couldn't see much, except what was lit by one of the street lights. It was enough so I could make out the slouched silhouette of Ron leaning against Hermione's silver Sedan.

My back started getting warm.

_Oh god, not again!_

I gripped the iron banister in preparation. I could see Ron's head lift up to look at me. The heat vanished almost as fast as it had started.

…_what the hell?_

This made no sense. Why did my scar start burning? Why just today? Wait a minute…this situation was all too familiar to me.

_You've got to be kidding me…_

It was just like the scar on my forehead. My burn scar started getting hot right before Ron and Hermione showed up. It started burning again out here with him in front of me. I was being warned of his closeness, just like I had been with the lightning scar on my forehead when Voldemort got close.

I was a walking danger radar.

I scowled. Was this going to happen every time Ron got close to me? A short clearing of his throat brought my attention back to the shadowed figure in front of me. I moved hesitantly down the steps, stopping after my feet hit the sidewalk. I could see Ron's face more clearly, and I didn't really feel the need to get much closer. His gaze fell back down to his feet.

"Hey"

-- --


	7. Mistakes

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

C'mon. You know you want to review. Go ahead. Do it.

-- --

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap_

Draco sat slumped back on one end of the couch, his thumb drumming agitatedly against his phone which was balanced on his leg. Hermione sat next to him, her leg bouncing nervously. Everyone sat in a sort of semi-circle in front of the TV, trying to focus on a movie. No one said much of anything.

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap_

Hermione grabbed Draco's hand in irritation. "Will you please desist?"

"Will you?" he snapped back. She let go of his hand and repositioned herself, sitting on her previously jiggling leg.

Draco flipped open his phone to check his clock for the millionth time. 57 minutes had gone by. He snapped the phone shut with an annoyed huff. _How long does it take to tell the weasel to get lost?_

"Let them talk," Hermione whispered. "Knowing them, they'll just have gotten to the point now."

Draco sighed and put his phone in his pocket. He crossed his arms and stared at the moving images on the TV screen, trying to take his mind off it. It wasn't working. Hermione gave him an apologetic look and patted his leg reassuringly. He thought about shaking her off and telling her to leave him alone, but he realized that he didn't care. He just wanted Harry back in the room.

Half an hour went by. Seamus and Susan were busy in the kitchen making various snacks for everyone, as it seemed that going out to dinner was not happening. Dean was beating Neville at a game of Wizard's Chess. Hermione was silently flipping channels while Draco stared off into space.

"Sure been out there a long time…" Dean said quietly, turning to look at the window. Hermione glanced over at the window briefly, then focused on the TV again. By now it was too dark to see anything and no one really wanted to interrupt whatever was happening out there anyway.

"Hey, at least they're talking," Neville added optimistically. "Not like last time."

Draco blinked as he came back from his wandering thoughts and looked over at Neville.

"What do you mean, 'last time'?" he asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

Hermione forgot about the reality show she found and turned her attention toward Neville too. He looked confused.

"Well, you know, the last time Ron accidentally hurt him? I don't think they've ever spoken to each other about it. Did he not tell you?"

The hard expression on Draco's face gave Neville his answer. Hermione quickly shut off the TV to listen. He had everyone's full attention now.

"You mean Ron's done something like this before?" Susan's small voice carried over the dead silent room. Neville nodded.

"Fourth year. After Harry's name was called out of the Goblet of Fire. Remember?"

A few nodded. Draco's icy stare never shifted from Neville's face as he continued.

"Well he was pretty pissed off about the whole thing so that night, before Harry had come back from talking with Dumbledore 'n all them, Ron put a spell over all Harry's stuff. He made it so when Harry came back, his stuff would kinda like attack him. But, well you know Ron and spells. It didn't really work out exactly the way he planned. He didn't mean for Harry to get hurt, he just wanted to get some sort of revenge on him, I guess, for being one of the TriWizard competitors. But when Harry walked in, all his stuff went crazy on him, stabbing him and cutting him up something terrible. Ron stopped it as fast as he could, but Harry looked pretty gruesome."

The only sound that could be heard was Draco breathing hard through his nose. He was gripping the cushion he was sitting on so hard that his fingernails almost went through the fabric.

"And how do _you_ know all this?" he spat through clenched teeth. Neville went pale in fear that Draco might attack him.

"I-I was pretending to sleep when it happened," Neville stuttered. "Ron told me a few days later anyway. Needed someone to talk to. I'm sorry, I thought Harry would have told you!"

Draco stood up so fast, Hermione jumped. She stood too, grabbing him lightly by the wrist.

"That was a long time ago, Draco. I'm sure they've put it far behind them."

He glared at her and yanked his hand back. He started for the door when Neville got up in a panic.

"It was just an accident! He didn't mean for anything like that to happen! Just like this time! Ron never meant to hurt Harry, honest!" Neville was trying to block his path, but Draco shoved passed him easily.

"Piss off, Neville." He shot acidly. _Don't make me kill you too. _

He stormed toward the door and ripped it open, jumping over the four steps and landing steadily on the sidewalk. When he looked up, he stopped in his tracks.

They were gone.

Draco just stood in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at where his love and the weasel should be. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't feel anything except his sudden emptiness slowly filling up with absolute rage. Everyone had gathered on the top step, not entirely sure what was going on. Hermione ran down the steps behind him and gasped in disbelief.

"They're gone…and they took my car!" she shouted in annoyance.

Draco pivoted and sprinted into the apartment, pushing Seamus and Neville aside who were blocking the doorway. They exchanged worried glances before joining the others on the sidewalk.

"What do you think happened?" Dean muttered in amazement.

Seamus shrugged and gazed back at the open door. "Dunno. But whatever's going on, someone's gonna pay."

They shared a grimace, wondering what Draco was doing and how long it was going to take to convince him not to go out and find Ron in order to kill him.

_BOOM!_

An explosion followed by the shatter of glass sliced sharply through the midst of their silence. The huddle of bodies jerked in reaction and Hermione let out a high pitched cry of surprise. She grabbed Neville's arm as a thin mist of smoke could be seen snaking out of the ajar door. They all were about to run inside to help Draco when a voice stopped them all in their tracks.

"What the BLOODY HELL was that?!"

Five faces turned to face up the sidewalk as Harry jogged out of the shadows.

"Harry?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowed in utter confusion.

Seamus cut in before Harry could say anything. "Where were you?" he demanded.

"I just…I just went for a walk." Harry answered, lowering his head a little. His eyes were visibly red and puffy from crying.

Hermione's face became soft and sad. "Oh, Harry…" she began, but Susan grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the apartment. That seemed to snap everyone back and remind them of what just happened.

They flew up the stairs and into the apartment, the smoke alarm going off with all the smoke hanging around the ceiling. Seamus whipped his wand out from his sweatshirt sleeve and flicked it at the madly beeping device. Harry called Draco's name, but there was no answer. He found the closet door open wide, and he looked at it for a minute.

_Is something missing?_

He decided to let it go and went straight for the bedroom, whose door was hanging off the bottom hinge and had light wisps of smoke coiling out of the entry way. Harry stepped cautiously into the room, his jaw dropping at the damage. Nothing existed in the middle of the room except a thick black burn mark that stretched in a gigantic circle. All of the furniture in the room was smashed up against the walls of the room, broken and, in a few cases, burnt. One of the three windows had been completely smashed. Draco was nowhere in sight.

A thought crossed Harry's mind and he forged through some of the debris before coming upon what appeared to be the remains of their bed. The bottom of the frame was somewhat in tact. Except…

_The board is gone. _

Harry shoved his hand down into the open space where he had stashed both their wands after the fight with Ron. His fingers closed around one…two…no. Not two. Only one wand was there. Harry grabbed the remaining wand and ran back to the closet. He searched around coats and other objects before dropping to his knees in anguish. He realized what was missing from the closet. Draco's broom, his Nimbus 2010.

He was going after Ron. And there was no way Harry could catch him now.


	8. Two Roads

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

The best people review stories. You guys are the best for reading my story. Therefore, you should review it. Simple math.

-- --

"Harry, what's wrong?"

Hermione came up quietly behind him, slumped on the floor with his head in his hands.

"What happened when I was outside?" he asked through his fingers.

Seamus paused in helping Susan wave away the smoke with their wands to turn and look at Harry's hunched body. "Your boyfriend went crazy, is what happened!

Hermione shot a look at him and sat down next to Harry in front of the open closet, crossing her legs and putting a hand on his back.

"He was just really anxious for you to come back. Then Neville told us about Ron's spell backfiring on you 4th year –"

Harry snapped his head up toward her. "He did _what_?" he whispered harshly. Hermione bit her lip and he let his head fall back into his hands. "Oh god…" he groaned. Hermione started rubbing his back gently, a pained look on her face.

Dean glanced over from his place at the window, watching for anyone who might have heard the explosion before. "Would Draco really go after Ron because of that?"

Seamus and Hermione both stared at him with raised eyebrows, as if to say _Are you kidding?_ Harry sighed and stood up. "It would have taken so much less than that to get him going."

"So…what are we going to do?" Dean asked, getting up from his position on the windowsill. They all came together in front of Harry, except Neville. He sat on the couch, his back to everyone, staring at the floor in silence.

Harry blinked at everyone in surprise. "What? No, I'm not going to ask for your guys to help me on this. You don't need to get involved."

"Like hell we don't!" Seamus exclaimed with an excited grin on his face.

Susan stepped forward seriously. "Draco and Ron are our friends too. We want to help make things right again."

Hermione took Harry's hand and nodded in agreement. Harry looked around at his friends. He was touched at how much his friends cared. He still didn't think it was a good idea to get everyone deeper in the situation than they already were, but he knew he would never be able to stop Draco on his own, especially if something went wrong. He would need all the help he could get.

"Alright." He tried to smile back at everyone but only managed a grimace. "Do you know where Ron might have gone?" he asked Hermione. She shook her head but then paused for a moment.

"Maybe he drove back home, to his parents." She suggested. Harry raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged. "He doesn't have a place of his own because he's been traveling with Charlie. It's a start, unless you have any better ideas."

He didn't. He had no idea where to go from here. Ron could be anywhere. Well, not exactly anywhere. Luckily, since he took Hermione's car, he couldn't get too far too quickly.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the wall. Things had gotten out of hand so fast. He stared at the open closet, the handle of his Nimbus 2011 sticking up from behind several coats. He suddenly felt sad, remembering it was a birthday present from Draco. He loved Draco with all his heart and would do anything for him. Now he had to track him down to stop him from committing murder. He had a feeling that if he found Draco and Ron before one did the other in, he would have to choose between them. Would he choose the love of his life or the life of his friend? _Could_ he choose? Harry closed his eyes. If he came to the defense of Ron, Draco would never speak to him again. If he stood behind Draco, Ron would walk out of his life. He was going to lose either way.

_As long as both are alive to disown me, I can deal with it_, he thought.

"Harry?"

His eyes opened to Hermione's worried face.

"Yeah," he replied, grabbing his broom from the closet, "we'll try the Weasly's house. Maybe they can help us find him. We'll have to fly to give ourselves, and Ron, enough time." Harry paused when he noticed everyone had their wands already out. "Do you guys keep your wands on you all the time?" he questioned.

They all exchanged a few glances. Seamus answered for the group. "Yeah, um, well we kinda thought somethin' might've gone down tonight. Just to make sure, y'know?"

Harry nodded. "Alright well, if you have a broom you should get it. We'll leave in a few minutes."

The grin on Seamus' face was huge. "Excellent." With a _pop!_ he was gone. The others followed soon after.

Neville got up slowly from the couch and walked hesitantly toward Harry. He kept his eyes down on his hands.

"Harry…listen. I'm sorry about telling him the story. I thought…I thought you might have told him already. I'm sorry." He hung his head in shame.

Harry placed his hands on Neville's shoulders and waited until he looked up at him, locking his eyes in place. "It's not your fault, Neville. You know Draco. Overreacts about everything. Don't beat yourself up about this. It was going to happen, whether you told him the story or not."

Neville nodded once, then turned and Aparated out of the room.

"Um, Harry?"

Harry jumped, thinking everyone had left. He turned to see Hermione still standing behind him, a little white in the face.

"I, I don't have my broom anymore. I hoped I wouldn't have to use it anymore…" her voice trailed off. Harry's mouth pulled up a little in a small smile. He knew she hated flying.

"S'all right. You'll ride with me. It'll be fine, I promise. I'm the best flyer around!" he tried making his voice sound confident to ease her nerves, but she just nodded meekly.

Within the next few minutes everyone had returned with brooms in hand. Despite the matter of which they had to fly, they all seemed eager to go. Harry understood. The rush he felt when flying was like nothing he'd ever experienced.

They exited the apartment single file and lined up across the sidewalk. Each member of the group pointed their wands at different street lights, flicking it once and sucking the light from its iron holding. When the entire street became shrouded in black so you couldn't even see your hand in front of you, they mounted their brooms. Hermione swung her leg over the broom behind Harry and gripped his waist tightly in preparation for take-off.

"Ready?" Harry whispered to her. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and nodded. "Let's go."

They all kicked off from the ground and rocketed into the air, whipping past buildings and trees until nothing but the low misty clouds surrounded them. As cold as it was, the adrenaline pulsing through Harry kept him strangely warm, his heart beating a million miles a minute. For the first time in years, he felt truly scared.

-- --


	9. Forgive Me

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

For some reason this didn't upload the first time. Sorry about that guys. I wanted to be awesome and give you twice the HP goodness. Two chapters in one night. Would you keep me from such a reward as twice the reviews? Course not. Cause you guys are fabulous :) Hope you guys can follow this chapter. Review!!

-- --

The street lights seemed to glare at him as they whizzed by. Each one screamed the hurt he had caused, and the pain he had yet to inflict. He wanted to go faster, to run farther away from what he left behind on the sidewalk. But a glow of red refused to let him. Ron sighed as he pulled to a stop in front of a red light. He stared out the window, getting lost in his thoughts blurring and sinking into the black sky…

_-- _**earlier that night** –

_It hurt to see Harry standing there. To know what I had done to him. To know that I had run away from him instead of being there like a best friend should. _

"Hey"

_I felt like scum. He shouldn't even be talking to me, even after so long. I couldn't even bring myself to look into his eyes. They were too accusing. _

"Hey"

_My voice cracked. Great. How was I supposed to possibly get through this evening?_

"It's been a while"

_Why did he sound so calm? He should be screaming at me. Saying all the things he never got to say. _

"Yeah"

_I was so stupid in coming here. He doesn't want anything to do with me, I know it. _

_Longest silence ever. But I can feel everything that isn't being said. The good, the bad, everything. The pain is too much. _

"It wasn't my fault, you know."

_Oh my god that's not how I wanted to say it! It sounds like I'm blaming him. Quick, take it back!_

"Are you blaming me or Draco?"

_Damn. That's not what I meant! Great start to the conversation Ron, you moron._

"No one. I'm just saying you shouldn't be mad at me."

_What the fuck am I doing? This isn't how I want to sound! _

"I'm not. But you hurt me bad, Ron. Much deeper than the scar."

_Holy shit there's a scar?! Oh Harry, I'm so sorry._

"I didn't want to. You were in the way."

_WHY can't my mouth match what I'm trying to say? Just apologize already!_

"And what was I supposed to do? Just let you kill him?"

_Well that wouldn't have been so bad…NO I can't say that!_

"Could've. He had it coming anyway."

_WHAT. THE. FUCK. Why did I say that?!_

"Shut up, Ron. Stop it. You have no right to say that."

_I know, I'm sorry!_

"What, I have no right to hate the guy who stole my best friend?"

_This is going to get ugly, stop it while you can!_

"He didn't _steal_ me, Ron. Love isn't stealing. I love him. He loves me. We're happy. If you don't like it, you can go piss off."

_Harry…_

"Fuck you, Harry. We were happy too, remember? The three of us: You, me and Hermione. Malfoy screwed with all of that. And now you're taking his side. Fine. Glad I came. Now I know who you really care about."

_Malfoy ruined us…why can't you see that?_

"This coming from the guy who calls himself my best friend, yet doesn't even stick around to see if I'm ok after you fucking set me on FIRE?!"

_Don't say it…_

"Guess I made _my_ choice of who _I_ care about."

_Fuck._

-- --

Green light.

Ron pulled ahead slowly. He drove around for a while, not paying real attention to where he was going. He was too preoccupied trying to blink back the tears he could feel forming. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Swerving across the lane, almost taking out a mini cooper, he screeched to a halt in a parking lot and let the tears come. He couldn't hold them back anymore. All the pain, all the words he had said built up so much guilty pressure that his body ached. He leaned over the steering wheel, gripping it hard and sobbing into it. If he could, he would take everything he had said and done back in a heartbeat. He wished he could. He prayed it would happen every night after the incident. And every night he went to bed sick with regret.

After who knows how long, Ron got control of himself. He slowed his tears with heavy, ragged breaths. Wiping his eyes with the back of his fist, he looked out the window to see where he was.

The familiar train station's sign looked down on him.

-- --


	10. Darkness Falls

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Apologies, a lull in the creative flow plus tons of schoolwork equals very slow updating. Forgive me? Review if you do :) I'm getting chapters up as soon as I can. Promise.

-- --

They had been flying for almost two hours. The night air was more than cold, it was numbing. The ice cold wind had been whipping at Harry's face for so long, he no longer felt it. His hands felt frozen to his broom handle, which was probably a good thing since he was so tired. Hermione had fallen asleep behind him, her face buried into his back looking for some protection from the freezing air.

Harry glanced behind him to make sure everyone was still following him. Susan was right beside him on his left, staring intently on the barely visible horizon. Dean and Neville flew side by side directly behind Harry, their eyes glazed and heavy with exhaustion. Seamus was the furthest behind, hardly able to keep up after so long in the air. His eyes would close every few minutes, his head nodding in sleepiness and his broom gradually dipping down below the rest of the group. Once his chin hit his chest he would come back to consciousness with a start, looking around and pulling his broom back up into formation with the others. Harry prayed they got to their destination soon. He didn't think they could last much longer.

Then, finally, he saw it. The familiar tower that was the home of the Weaslys appeared in the darkness below. Despite what he may have to face inside, Harry couldn't help but feel comforted by its presence. He had escaped from his terrible life with the Dursleys and sought refuge here many times.

Harry gently nudged Hermione awake. Tearing a hand away from the broom (with a little difficulty) he pointed to the dimly lit house.

They dropped low and fast in a steep line toward the ground. Susan, Harry and Dean glided smoothly to the ground. Seamus tripped and almost fell as his feet touched the ground. Neville's judgment on how close he was to the ground was way off. Before he could pull up, the tip of his broom stuck straight into the ground, launching him across the dew soaked grass. A few of the Weasly's lawn gnomes popped out of nowhere and quickly waddled over to where he lay dazed. They started beating him over the head with their plastic shovels until Hermione muttered _Petrificus Totalus_ and helped Neville up.

It took them all a minute to switch from flying to the sudden use of their legs. After stumbling around for a few minutes, they dragged themselves up the driveway to the front door. They huddled against each other, damp and shivering.

Harry raised his hand to knock on the door, wondering if anyone was awake. Before his hand even connected with the worn wood, it swung open sharply. A hand from inside grabbed Harry by his shirt roughly and hurled him into the darkened house, flinging him across the room. He crashed and tumbled against the furniture, sending broken pieces of wooden chairs flying and a lamp crashing to the ground. Harry hit the wall with a gasp as the impact forced all the air out of his lungs. He crumpled to the ground on his knees, his forehead pressed against the floor as he tried to gulp the air. He tasted blood. His back, which hit the most furniture, felt like it had been whipped a hundred times. The pain was so great he couldn't speak.

"HARRY!!"

Hermione sprinted over to him, falling to his side and gripping his shoulders, shielding him. He cried out in pain when she grabbed him. Spots of blood soaked through the back of his shirt.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you, Percy?!"

The familiar name Seamus shouted forced Harry to lift his head as much as he could to look around. There by the door, surrounded by four wands pointed at him, was Percy Weasly. The dimly lit room cast heavy shadows across him which did nothing but enhance the fury carved in Percy's face. His shoulders heaved up and down, taking in long angry drags of air through clenched teeth.

"You," he pointed at Harry's hunched body, malice dripping in his words, "Potter. You will pay for ripping this family apart. These people who you claim to care so much for. Your _best friend_ and his family, my family, our lives, you're the only one to blame here."

"Percy, what are you talking about?!" Hermione screeched, her voice going high in total fear.

He started walking slowly toward her and Harry, continuing to point at the ragged bleeding wizard. Each step he took toward them seemed to add to his height and anger.

"If it hadn't been for Harry, Ron wouldn't have flown off to god knows where. Dad would still have his job at the Ministry. Ginny wouldn't have snuck out to chase after Ron. My parents wouldn't have left to find Charlie in Ireland in order to bring him back to help find them. And _I _wouldn't have been suspended from my duties at the Ministry because of 'family instability'!"

His breaths sounded more like snarls as he towered over Harry and Hermione.

"Let…let me explain," Harry managed to say through gasping breaths. He struggled to stand up. Hermione grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet. He swayed momentarily before staring directly into the blazing eyes before him.

"Percy –"

A swift crack against Harry's jaw sent him spiraling. He heard 5 voices shout _Stupefy!_ before he hit the wall and blacked out.

-- --

Chapters might be a little slow appearing this week. So have patience, review, and I'll do my best to give you good stuff to read :)


	11. Flight Risk

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Yeah, two chapters at once. I know, I'm awesome. I still think you should review so I can at least tell if you agree or not ;)

**Harry Potter's point of view**

-- --

_My body felt like it was being torn in half. The feeling of my body being ripped in two wouldn't stop until I made my choice. I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to utter the name. Two green flashes flew towards each other…_

_NO!_

I sat straight up, hyperventilating. Low sunlight was streaming through the window. The stabbing pain in my back brought me back down with a groan as my throbbing head hit the pillow. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to lessen the pounding in my ears.

"Woah easy there, love!"

My eyes snapped open to see a blurred figure walking across the room towards me. I scrambled to find my glasses on the nightstand. I jammed them on my face in time to see those beautiful pale features smiling down on me.

"Draco!"

I flung my arms around his neck, pulling him down on the bed with me. He chuckled and hugged me tightly, repositioning himself so he sat beside me. The pain I felt all over my body was searing, but I didn't care. Draco was here and with me again. We stayed like this for a few minutes, all our thoughts, questions and fears surrounding us in heavy silence. I pushed him away suddenly and slapped his arm as hard as I could, ignoring the sudden burning feeling in my wrist.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" I shouted. He looked confused and slightly hurt.

"I couldn't sit back and watch him make you miserable anymore. Then I heard about what happened 4th year, and you had vanished…" he closed his eyes and I saw his jaw set as he checked his anger, "and I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to do something. I wasn't going to let Weasly walk away without a few…words…from me."

He had said "words" but I knew there was no talking involved in the plans he was thinking of. Then a thought crossed my mind and a bolt of fear went through me.

"Did you –"

He cut me off before I could finish. "No. I tried to track him for a few miles, but I got frustrated and gave up. I went back home and found the apartment empty. Then Hermione called and said I needed to get over here as soon as possible."

I sighed with relief and lay my head on his shoulder. He put an arm around me and held me close, planting a kiss on my forehead.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

I looked up and our eyes met. He really did look sorry. I couldn't help but forgive him. How could I be mad at someone who cared that much to fight for me?

"It's ok." I whispered against his neck.

I nipped gently at the skin my mouth touched. I couldn't help it. The need to want to be close to him was overwhelming, especially after all of last night's events. I felt his embrace tighten around me and heard him inhale deeply. I left a long, slow kiss where my nibbling had left his skin pink, letting the tip of my tongue run over the area. He let out a small groan and ran his free hand slowly up my leg, sending chills through me. He stopped at the beginning of my thigh, massaging it gently. I moaned, his thumb caressing so close to the zipper of my pants. Something was different about the way he was touching me. It was…soft. Careful, almost. It was very un-Draco.

_Why is he being so careful?_

I swung my leg over to straddle his waist, but it buckled as hot pricks of pain shot through me. I gasped sharply and collapsed on top of him.

_Oh…that's why._

I no longer had the cuts and bruises from last night, thanks to someone's skill with a wand (probably Hermione), but my body was still very sore from it.

"Harry! Are you ok?"

I sighed in defeat. I wasn't going to get as close to Draco as I had hoped…

"Yes," I grumbled into his shirt, "I'm fine."

Draco smirked at the frustration in my voice. We heard a knock at the door as it creaked open.

"Oh!" a suddenly embarrassed Hermione exclaimed, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to barge in!"

"S'ok Hermione." Draco laughed as he helped me sit up and propped me up against the pillows. He saw the pout on my lips and kissed me, lingering for a moment. Hermione brought a tray of food over to me and sat it on my lap.

I took a moment and looked around the room. I recognized it as the Weasly's guest room, the one I stayed in whenever I would visit. Then I remembered Percy.

"Hermione," I said quickly, "what happened last night? What was Percy going on about with his family?"

I felt Draco stiffen next to me. Hermione's eyes shifted to him before answering.

"Well, apparently the combination of so many spells aimed at the same person at the same time will knock him out for a few hours. I called Draco and he showed up before Percy woke up. When he finally came to, he told us everything."

Hermione pulled a chair up close to the bed and Draco picked up a piece of toast for me to eat. I ate it slowly as I prepared to listen to Hermione. Draco took a piece as well, probably to distract him from hearing this all over again.

"Ron came back here sometime after we left your apartment. He left my car and took his broom, telling his parents he had to leave and go somewhere far away where he could think and be away from people. He was really upset and didn't say anything more. He just got on his broom and flew off before his parents could do anything."

I flinched. I knew this was my fault. The guilt settled in my stomach and made me feel sick. I put down the toast, slightly in disgust with myself.

"Shortly after he left, Arthur got a visit from a guy from the Ministry. He told him that this was the last offence they could allow him, with Ron running off like that. They had to let him go. They only suspended Percy because of his connections in the Ministry."

I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion. "Wait, what would it matter to them what Ron does? He doesn't work for the Ministry."

Hermione glanced nervously at Draco. Draco was as still as a statue, his eyes watching my face carefully. Even though his face was calm, his hands were balled into fists at his side.

Hermione sighed. "He _does_ work for the Ministry, Harry. After his father helped put Draco's father in Azkaban –" a low growl rumbled in the back of Draco's throat " – They asked for Ron's help in putting away…someone else." Hermione's eyes flicked back and forth between Draco and I. I looked at Draco and then turned back to Hermione.

"Who could they want that they would possibly ask for Ron's help?"

Hermione looked down at her hands. Draco cupped the side of my cheek and turned my head to face him, stroking the side of my face with his thumb and staring into my eyes.

"Me" he answered coldly.

-- --


	12. Stay, Always

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Thought I was gonna be slow with these updates, didn'tcha? Let's hear it for choosing fanfiction over studying! Please review so I at least have your reactions to comfort me when I fail my midterm.

**Harry Potter's point of view**

-- --

It took them over an hour to calm me down. I threw a fit when Draco told me he was wanted in Azkaban by the Ministry. Under bullshit accusations! They called him an accomplice to his father's actions. Draco had nothing to do with Lucius' killing of a Muggle. He did that on his own. The woman he killed didn't do anything wrong either! She was an old beggar woman, asking him for money. He refused. She persisted, following him home and blocking his path up to his house. He tried to push her aside and she grabbed a hold of his robes. Lucius thought she was trying to attack him, so he attacked back. Draco wasn't even there, yet because of his reputation and famous family, he was assumed to be one of the brains behind it. It was utterly ridiculous and made me furious.

Draco now had me on his lap, one arm tight around my waist and the other rubbing my back. I reluctantly agreed to listen to Hermione tell the rest of the story.

"Alright, well, after the man from the Ministry left, they realized that Ginny was gone. She had left a note saying she was going to go out and find Ron. Arthur and Molly freaked out and left for Ireland to go find Charlie to help find them. And since Ron had been with him there when he was studying dragons, they figured that was the best place to start looking. Percy hasn't heard from any of them yet."

I stared at the blanket on the bed, lost in my thoughts. Draco knew what was going through my head.

"This isn't your fault, Harry."

I turned up to meet his soft grey eyes. It felt like it was my fault. I didn't know how, but it seemed like my whole life I've always been the cause of bad things to happen. And now here I was, hurting the people who meant the most to me.

Hermione stood and took back the tray with barely touched food. I thanked her and she kissed the top of my head before leaving the two of us alone again. I curled up against Draco, tugging him closer to me. He held me close, wrapping both arms around me.

"So what's going to happen now?" I asked him quietly.

He sighed into my hair and rubbed my shoulder, lost in thought. "I'm not sure. Have a talk with the Ministry, I guess."

I looked up at him, my eyes wide with fear. The Ministry has never been one for the whole "innocent until proven guilty" way of thinking. He flashed me my favorite smirk of his.

"But we don't need to worry about that right now." He pressed his lips against mine softly, and all my fears and worries melted away.

He lay me down on the bed, his mouth working heatedly against mine. I pulled at him to bring him down on top of me, but he kept himself propped up on his elbows on either side of my head. He kept himself hovered above me, never letting his full weight press against me. I guessed this was because he knew my body was still so sore.

We pulled apart for a brief second, gasping for air. I stared at the gorgeous smiling face above me, and a wave of sadness swept over me. I couldn't lose him. I couldn't bear thinking about Draco in Azkaban. I would not let that happen. We had to stop the Ministry from taking him away. Somehow prove his innocence. But how? How could _we_ stand up against the Ministry? It seemed impossible.

"What's wrong?"

His eyes were searching my face for some clue as to what I was thinking. I just shook my head.

"I love you."

"I love you too" he replied with a force behind his voice. The words seemed to have more meaning to them tonight.

Our lips met again, and for several minutes I was in a dazed heaven with him as my blonde haired angel.

When we both were breathless and our lips slightly swollen from the passion between us, Draco looked out the window at the midnight blue sky. He leaned back down and nipped at the base of my neck before draping a heavy blanket over me.

"You need to sleep" he told me. I opened my mouth to protest, but a yawn escaped instead. Draco raised an eyebrow and grinned, tucking the blanket around me. He moved to step off the bed, but I grabbed his wrist. If there was a possibility of Draco being sent to Azkaban, I would spend every second I had as close to him as possible.

"Will you stay?" I asked pleadingly.

He hesitated. "Of course" he replied with a nod.

He climbed carefully over me, pulling back the blanket and lying with his body pressed against my back. He curved his body against me and wrapped an arm around my waist. His hesitation before had me worried. Would he try to leave again to go find Ron or confront the Ministry?

"Drake?"

"Mm?"

"Promise me you'll be here when I wake up?"

There was a second of silence as Draco picked up on my meaning. He kissed the back of my neck.

"Promise."

-- --


	13. Let Me Go

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Ok, this was sort of painful to get through. Forced chapters are never fun, but I needed it in order to move the story along. So forgive me if it's not up to expectation. I'd still love a few reviews!!

-- --

_Choose._

_How can I choose when I love them both?_

_You decide their death then._

_No! Please, just give me more time!_

_You have none. Go to him. Save him. Or watch him die._

_No I can't do it!_

_Time's up. _

_CHOOSE._

Harry woke with a jerk, causing him to fall off the bed and thump onto the floor. He groaned. The landing hurt, but the rest of him was fine, completely healed.

Sunlight streamed through the faded curtains of the window. It must have been around noon. Remembering last night, Harry stood up abruptly but smiled in relief when he saw Draco fast asleep, splayed out on the narrow bed he had slowly taken over during the night.

As quietly as he could, Harry snuck out of the room and made his way downstairs. Harsh whispering could be heard as he rounded the corner to the kitchen. The conversation ended immediately when they all turned to see Harry approach them at the kitchen table. Hermione jumped up toward him and embraced him cheerfully.

"Good morning!" Her eyes looked over his face and she frowned. "You look terrible. Are you ok?"

"Bad dreams" He muttered. Hermione's expression immediately changed and she grabbed Harry by the arm, leading him toward the couch furthest away from the others, by the stairs.

"About what?" she asked as they sat down. Harry looked hesitantly up at the stairs before answering.

"I'm standing in the middle of a field, and I can't see anything. Everything is foggy. But I can tell that two people are on either side of the field. Then I see a big black creature come out of the fog. It reminds me of a Dementor." Harry shivered at the thought of the draped floating figures. "It starts talking to me, saying I have to choose between the two people. And I can't choose. Then it turns into a bright green snake and says that both of them will die if I don't choose…" His voice trailed off as Hermione's eyes went wide.

"Do you think it means anything?" she whispered.

He shrugged. He didn't know what anything meant anymore. Way too much had happened in such a short time. The feeling of having to choose between Ron and Draco was still strong, and he still didn't have an answer. How could he? Both meant so much to him, in different ways.

"Who do you choose in the dream?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

He hesitated. "Well, I never…_want_ to choose, because I can't. They both mean too much to me. But…in the back of my mind…I know who I'm going to choose."

She waited for him to go on, but his eyes just shifted around her. Her forehead creased in confusion before realization slowly overtook her. With wide eyes she mouthed _Ron?_

A creak in the floor coming from the top of the stairs made Harry jerk his head up.

_Shit. _

Draco had heard everything. Harry dropped his head in his hands and sighed. This wasn't going to be fun to explain if Draco hadn't already blasted out of the room on his broom to go after Ron again.

Hermione assumed the same. "Go talk to him" she said quietly, "We have something to discuss when you're finished."

He gave Hermione a half-hearted smile and trudged up the stairs. He took his time going down the slightly darkened hallway, thinking of what to say. What _could_ he say? That he couldn't decide who mattered the most to him? No, that would hurt Draco far too much.

_Ugh. Nothing is ever simple._

Harry came to the almost closed door of his room. He stared at it for a second before slowly pushing it open with a creak. It fell back to reveal Draco sitting on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and clasped hands at his forehead, staring at the floor. Harry hesitated in the doorway, biting his lip. Draco still being here was a good sign, but he didn't think anything he now had to say would make things better at all.

He took a step towards Draco, placing his foot down carefully, testing to see what reaction he might get. Nothing. He took another step. Still nothing. He went to take a third step.

"I'm not going anywhere, Potter." Draco snapped. Harry back stepped at the harshness of his voice.

Harry just stood there, opening his mouth to say something but closing it when he thought better. He could feel the angry silence attacking him. They both stayed in their respective positions for several minutes, never moving. Finally, Harry couldn't take it anymore. Talking and making things worse seemed better than this angry neutral stage.

"Drake –"

"I really don't think you want to talk to me right now." Draco warned angrily, keeping his statue-like position staring at the floor.

Harry snapped his mouth shut. Anguish welled up inside him, a lump forming in his throat. Once again he had hurt one of the most important people in his life. This was never going to stop. Not unless he tried to make things right. He had no idea how to even begin to do that, though.

Harry quickly ducked out of the room, eyes hurting from trying to hold back tears. He felt helpless, unable to do anything but drive away the people he loved. It felt like he was losing control, like everyone close to him was abandoning him.

_They have every right to want to leave me_, he thought sullenly, _I've given them enough reason to._

He walked heavily back down the stairs and joined the others at the kitchen table. He glanced around to see the group looking everywhere but at him. Percy was sitting on a stool in the corner, arms crossed and a death stare aimed right at Harry. He ignored the eyes burning into him and turned to Hermione.

"So, what are we discussing?" he asked flatly. Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly make him feel any worse.

Hermione looked at the others before answering. "Well, we think….we think Ron and Ginny might be at Hogwarts."

Harry blinked and sat back in his chair in surprise.

_That's it? What's the problem then? Hogwarts is safe enough. Except…_

"Wait I thought Ron said he left because he wanted to get away from people? School's in session now, there won't be a single place that isn't overrun by students."

Dean shifted in his chair. "Except the Forbidden Forest…" he mumbled.

Hermione nodded. "That's why we're worried, Harry. Ron could probably handle himself if he ever got into trouble, but if Ginny goes in looking for him…" she didn't finish her thought. She didn't have to for Harry to get it.

_Would Ron really be stupid enough to go into the Forbidden Forest just to get away from me?_

He closed his eyes.

_Yes. Yes he would. _

Susan put a tentative hand on top of his. "It's ok, Harry. Percy sent an owl out this morning to his parents. They're going to go look for him. So we can focus on helping you and Draco."

Harry just shook his head. This was too much. He needed to think. Everyone watched him get up and hike upstairs for the second time.

He shuffled down the hallway towards the bathroom. He faltered at the room Draco was in, but the door had been shut and he couldn't hear anything behind it so he moved on. When he got to the bathroom he closed the door and stripped, his thoughts elsewhere. He turned on the water for the shower then moved to the sink, leaning over it and staring at himself in the mirror. His face looked tired. The shadows under his eyes gave his expression an almost haunted look. The fact that the grimace he wore looked permanent didn't help either.

When the mirror started to fog up with steam, Harry pushed himself away from the sink and pulled back the curtain, stepping into the shower. He stood there, letting the hot streams of water beat against his bare chest and run down his body, trying to get his thoughts in order.

_Ok, so the situation with Ron is going to be taken care of, right? At least, the getting him back part. That should solve everything, shouldn't it? I mean, I can focus on Draco. I can choose him. I should be relieved…so why aren't I? Why do I still have this feeling that things aren't going to be this simple? Argh, this is so frustrating! _

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the bathroom door open and click close. However, he did see the faint shape of someone through the shower curtain, but he wasn't surprised. He saw the figure sit down on the toilet across from the shower, staring at him silently. Harry turned off the water and watched the body run its fingers through his hair. He knew who it was, but he thought it best not to say anything. The silence hung in the air almost as thick as the steam.

"You don't have to choose" Draco finally said in a low voice from across the tiny bathroom.

There was no response from Harry. He just listened.

"I didn't…I just…thought…" Draco sighed in frustration. He knew he wasn't making sense but he didn't know how to put what he was trying to say.

He got up and walked over to the translucent shower curtain, his head bowed.

"I can handle the Ministry on my own. Go and find Weas –Ron. Don't worry about me. You need to focus on who matters most. Go. I want you to."

Harry's jaw dropped. There was more than one meaning behind his words. He ripped back the curtain as Draco lifted his head, clearly at war with himself.

"You _want _me to leave?"

Moist grey-blue eyes locked with bright green.

"You are my life, Harry. I can't even begin to imagine the pain of having to live without you if I get sent to Azkaban. But if staying with me means making you miserable, then yes, I want you to leave. For good. I won't make you get involved with this Ministry thing, nor will I have you go through the possible grief if I get taken away. It would just be easier on both of us if you left." His strong voice cracked on the last word.

"Draco…"

He tore his gaze away sharply and held up a hand. "My only request is that you leave when I'm asleep. I know you and goodbyes. I'd never be able to get through it."

Harry didn't know what to say so he just nodded slowly, heartbroken at the lengths his boyfriend had gone to make sure he was happy. It killed him to see Draco standing before him like this. He had been given the decision he was waiting for though, the decision that he could go save Ron. In his dreams and in the back of his mind, he always knew that choosing Ron was the right thing to do. Now he could finally make that choice. Of course he would miss Draco more than anything. He was the love of his life. He wasn't sure how he would get through it after things were ok with Ron, but Harry was sure that with Ron and Hermione by his side again, it would all be ok.

Draco's face fell as he understood the silence. He nodded once, turning to go. Draco was sure he should be happy that Harry did what he told him to do, but he couldn't help the feeling of an empty hole burning through his heart. Harry watched his now former lover start to walk away. Then Harry blinked as something flickered through his mind.

He grabbed Draco by the shirt and yanked him into the shower, kissing him more forcefully than ever before. Draco gasped as he was slammed up against the shower wall and Harry pressed the full weight of his naked body against his. He fisted the platinum blonde's hair as they moved their lips together with as much power as each could muster. Muffled moans from Draco were lost in Harry's mouth. Harry broke the kiss suddenly to stare intensely into his eyes, both men panting, a single tear rolling down Draco's cheek. Harry grinned.

"How the fucking hell could I ever leave you?"

-- --


	14. Forever Yours

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Apparently some of my chapters have been causing some trouble, so if something's not working please let me know! I'll try to keep everything in tip-top shape. Oh and btw, with all the people who are supposedly reading this story, I should be averaging WAY more than two reviews a chapter…fix that please. I would love you forever. I really would.

-- --

About an hour later a very happy, and very clean, Draco and Harry sauntered out of the steam flooded bathroom. They leaned against each other, arms wrapped around the other's waist, refusing to let go. There was no doubt in either wizard's mind. They were going to stay together and fight together no matter what. Whatever they were going to come up against in the future they would face as a pair, always.

As they came down the stairs, Harry was a little surprised to find the kitchen empty. He peered over the stair railing to see Dean and Neville hanging out on the couch watching TV. He squeezed Draco to him briefly before pulling himself away and heading toward the kitchen to scour for food, considering neither had eaten in quite some time. Draco watched Harry for a minute before joining the other boys in the living room.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked as he flopped down in an armchair next to Neville.

Dean motioned with his thumb to the door. "Outside brushing up on some wand-work."

Draco leaned his head back to look out the window next to the door. "You think that's going to be necessary?'

"Dunno" Dean answered with a shrug. "But it never hurts to be prepared."

Draco's lips pressed together in a thin line. He was worried. If proving his innocence to the Ministry had the potential to be this dangerous, did he really expect to walk away free? He shivered at the thought and tried to focus on the TV instead.

A few minutes later Harry appeared with a plate of muffins and a bowl of fruit. Draco draped his legs over one of the arms of the chair to make room for Harry to sit with him. Harry gave him the plate of muffins which smelled amazing and were perfectly made. Draco lifted an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Harry asked innocently. "Alright so I added way too much water trying to make them the Muggle way. Be happy I didn't make you eat those. I'm sure muffin slop would have been delicious."

Draco chuckled and broke off a piece. "You're cute when you mess up" he teased, feeding Harry the chunk of muffin and kissing him.

"Fank 'ou" Harry grinned with his mouth full. Draco just shook his head and laughed.

Harry swallowed before turning to the other two boys. "Did Percy leave? I didn't see him here."

Neville nodded. "Yeah. Left a little while ago. Said he was going to help his parents look for Ron."

"Good riddance" Draco growled before biting angrily into an apple. Harry put a soothing hand on his knee.

Suddenly, Susan burst through the door, her face white as a sheet.

"HARRY!" she shrieked, "The Min –"

Four loud _pops_ made the boys jump and then scramble to stand up as four men clothed in dark navy blue robes suddenly appeared before them. They were tall and clearly muscular. They towered over everyone intimidatingly. Harry yanked Draco off the chair and pushed him up against the wall behind them, whipping out his wand and standing defensively in front of Draco. Neville and Dean quickly took their place next to Harry with their wands raised. Susan let out a squeal of fear and ran back out the door to get the others.

Behind one of the men Harry could see a rather large figure stepping through the doorway. His jaw dropped.

_Cornelius Fudge._

He strolled past the line of blue robed men, obviously part of his crew, with an air of high class and authority about him. The smug look of satisfaction infuriated Harry to no end. He raised his wand to point menacingly at the approaching body. Draco took a step out from behind Harry and glared.

"What the hell are you doing here, Fudge?" he spat.

Fudge just smiled. It wasn't a kind smile though. It was the slimiest and most crooked smile a deceitful liar like Fudge could exhibit.

"Why, here to take you away, my young Mr. Malfoy!" he sneered. "The Ministry felt the need to place me back in my position of, ahem, correcting the wrongs of wizards such as yourself when poor Mr. Ronald Weasly took off."

Harry pushed Draco further behind him and tightened his grip on his wand. Draco would have protested to being treated like he couldn't defend himself, but this was not the time for his cocky attitude to get in the way. It could mean his life.

"Don't you fucking _touch_ him" Harry threatened with a hiss. He would die before he let them take Draco away from him.

Fudge rolled his eyes, clearly bored with the situation. "Come, come now, Mr. Potter. We won't have any trouble from you. Wrongs must be righted! Wouldn't you agree?"

As if by command, the four cloaked men started to advance, grinning in obvious enjoyment of what they were summoned here to do.

Harry took a step back, wrapping a protective arm around Draco behind him. Dean and Neville took offensive stances. The four men slid their own wands out from their draped sleeves, stopping within a foot of their targets.

"Now, I'm going to ask you kindly, Mr. Malfoy" Fudge reasoned with a crooked grin. "Do come along and let's have this sorted out without a fuss, shall we?"

"Never" Draco said darkly. Fudge just shrugged.

"Very well then. Boys?"

Before any of them were able to take a step, Harry, Dean and Neville shouted _Expelliarmus_ at three of the four approaching figures. The spells were deflected easily. The fourth that hadn't been fired on gave a quick command of _Stupefy_ and flicked his wand at Harry. Draco pulled Harry to the ground just before the spell connected with the wall behind him. He fired back and missed, but it gave him enough time to see Dean fall to the ground with a grunt due to a leg-locking curse. Someone shouted _Stupefy_ at Harry again which he countered with a strong _Ennervate, _sending his opponent crashing against the stairs. Neville had been hit with a jinx that hurled him against the wall and knocked him out cold. Dean was on the floor in a one-on-one battle with the wizard who had cursed him, frantically trying to avoid the spells he couldn't counter.

Harry tried to grab Draco and get him out of the house, but two of the men stepped in front of his path. One took a swift jab to Harry's ribs, causing him to double over. The other quickly disarmed Draco the second his eyes shifted to Harry's cry of pain. Draco lunged at the man who had hit Harry. The other man cracked his fist against Draco's jaw sending him stumbling over, drops of blood falling from his mouth. Harry was kicked over simultaneously, landing so he faced Draco on the ground. For a split second their eyes locked, sending a frenzy of emotions between them too quickly to process.

The other two men had joined the group, one having left Dean unconscious on the ground and the other recovering from being thrown against the stairs. Two of them hauled Draco up from the floor, slamming him up against the wall and securing his arms back as he fell to his knees. Harry struggled to get up only to be held fast by the remaining two men. Draco and Harry stared at each other from across the room, complete helplessness strewn across both their faces, terrified to look away in fear that it was the last time they would see each other. They tried to fight off the men who held them, but it was of no use. Fudge casually walked over to Draco and squatted in front of him with a smirk. Draco lifted his head, glaring at him in such a way that if looks could kill, Fudge would have been turned to dust. Fudge made a disapproving clicking noise with his tongue.

"Always have to do it the hard way, don't you Mr. Malfoy?"

"Fuck you" Draco shot back with a snarl. Fudge's grin disappeared and he stood up, kicking Draco in the stomach with all the power he had. Draco choked and gasped, blood dripping from his mouth.

"STOP IT!" Harry shouted trying desperately to pull free from the hands that held him firmly in his place. Fudge's smile returned as he made his way over to him.

"Well, well, well. Mr. Harry Potter. I can't but admit my surprise to find you so readily at the defense of Mr. Malfoy here. Who would have guessed you two would make such a _lovely_ couple?"

The second he brought his hand back, Draco's fierce and unwavering voice cut off his actions.

"If you so much as lay a hand on him I swear to god I will find you and hurt you so terribly that between your cries of torment you'll wish you had never even heard of the name Malfoy."

Harry saw a flicker of pure fear cross Fudge's face, but he quickly composed himself to turn his head and grin at a steaming Draco.

"So much like your father" he said with mock sadness. He removed his wand from somewhere inside his robes and looked at it intently. "Except he didn't resist arrest, did he? No, he walked away with dignity. That's something you'll never have, I'm afraid. Oh well. I'm sure your time at Azkaban will be a fantastic bonding experience for the both of you."

Draco roared with fury and tried to lunge at Fudge. He raised his wand and waved it at Draco's struggling body. Harry let out a protesting cry as a flash of red burst out of Fudge's wand and hit Draco directly in the stomach. He crumpled to the ground unconscious.

"You son of a bitch!!" Harry screamed. The two men holding him forced him upright before hurling him into the couch. Harry flipped back against it, hitting his head sharply on the floor. He could feel the blood trickling down from his head. He heard the men head for the door to leave.

_No!_

He scrambled up and had to support himself with the couch, his vision doubled and shaky. With a few blinks he could see clearly enough to watch Draco being dragged out the door.

_Stop! Please don't do this!_

Harry stumbled after them as fast as he could. He reached the door just in time to see them throw Draco in the backseat of a beat up black coach being pulled by four mangy looking grey and white Hippogriffs. He stopped in his tracks when he saw who was already in the front seat waiting for them.

Percy.

Anger and hatred flamed through Harry as he saw Percy nod in acknowledgement to Fudge.

As they began to pull away, Harry shouted _Accio broomstick!_ He didn't care which broom showed up first. He would _not _let them take Draco away!

Seamus' Firebolt flew in first. Harry mounted it quickly and exploded off the ground, trying to use all his energy to will the broom to go faster. The coach had lifted into the air and was making a steep climb upwards. Harry was in hot pursuit, his eyes fixed on the back of the coach. Then, with a sudden blast of air and a blinding light, they were gone.

Harry pulled the broom to a jerked halt and frantically searched the empty sky. Tears welled up in his eyes and spilled over uncontrollably. They blurred his vision and he tried to wipe them away indefinitely. He twisted his body around to check every possible inch of clear blue sky. It felt like his heart was being torn out of his body.

_Oh god no! No, no please no!_

The coach was no where to be seem.

"_DRACO!!_"


	15. Start Again

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

I know, I know, y'all probably hate me for making you wait so long. I've been sick which killed my creative flow. Hope these two chapters make up for it. As always, reviews would be lovely :)

-- --

Tears streamed down Harry's face, falling behind him as he drove Seamus' broom back down to the ground. The second his feet came in contact with the ground his body crumpled into a heap, shaking with each sob that escaped him. He felt pathetic like this. He knew he should by flying off somewhere or making a plan to get to Draco, but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to do anything. The will to move had been crushed by the sinking, empty black hole he felt in the pit of his stomach. Never before had he felt so lost. All he wanted to do was curl up and die.

He heard quick light footsteps run toward him.

"Harry?"

Hearing Susan's soft, hesitant voice sent another shuddering breath through him.

"He's gone. He's gone and I couldn't stop them. I couldn't save him. I promised him we'd stay together. I promised…I PROMISED HIM!!"

Harry's cries wracked through his body now, every quick ragged breath sending a spasm through his frame. Susan laid a delicate hand on his arm.

"We're going to do everything we can. We won't let them get away with this."

Harry whipped his head around and glared at Susan, making her jump in surprise.

"Well where the fuck were you when they DID get away with it?! I saw you run out of the room!"

Susan flinched, hurt.

"I did run out, but I had left to find the others to help. When I got outside, everyone was gone. I saw Percy over by the shed next to the house so I ran over to ask him where they were and if he could help. But when I got to the shed…" she faltered and swallowed, "I saw that he had his wand pointed to Hermione and Seamus. He had used a rope binding spell on them."

Harry laid his head back on the ground and fumed. "_Incarcerous_. The bastard."

Susan nodded. "I tried to reason with him for a while, but then he started throwing spells at me. I tried to fight him off, but they were coming at me so quickly I didn't know what else to do except run. So I…I took my broom and flew off. I'm sorry Harry, I know I should have stood up to him and tried to fight, but I was alone and I panicked and –"

Harry shook his head and sat up. As much pain he was in, he wasn't going to force the blame on someone who didn't deserve it.

"No, Susan, it's not your fault. It wouldn't have helped any if Percy had jinxed you too. I – wait, where's Hermione and Seamus now?"

Susan dropped her head and blushed. "I can't remember the counter curse…"

"_Relashio_" Harry muttered, standing up.

He trudged over to the shed and leaned all his weight on one of the sliding barn doors. It opened slowly to reveal Hermione and Seamus squirming on the ground, completely bound with old looking sailor's rope. Their mouths were gagged but you could hear their stifled protests against the rope.

With a swish of his wand, the ropes fell and draped on top of their bodies. They quickly stood up and brushed the heavy ropes off.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione caught him up in a hug, her eyes filling with tears. Harry just stood there, letting himself be hugged. "I'm so sorry! Did they hurt you?"

Harry winced in reply as she squeezed him a little too hard. Hermione stepped back as her hand flew over her mouth.

"Oh my god, they did! They took him, didn't they? Oh, Harry, they had no right to do this!"

"Yeah, well, they did it anyway, didn't they?" Harry shot back. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but just dropped her head to look at her feet.

Seamus came over and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry, mate. We'll figure somethin' out."

Harry just stared at the back of the shed. He wished he could be hopeful, wished he could believe that everything would be ok.

"You'd better tend to Neville and Dean inside" Harry mumbled, lost in thought. "They were unconscious when I left."

The three friends nodded and rushed out of the shed leaving Harry alone to try and process what to do. He found an old crate by the wall so he dropped onto it, his head sinking into his hands. He couldn't feel the tears anymore. He couldn't feel the sadness. He just felt…empty.

How was he supposed to free Draco? The only people who would even have a chance at it would be someone in the Ministry. Arthur had already been fired so the Ministry would never listen to him. Percy had joined forces with Fudge and he hated Harry now so he would never reconsider. No one else in the Ministry knew Harry well enough to overlook their loyalty to the magical government in order to help him. No one except…

_Ron._

Harry lifted his head and stared off into space, running the possibility through his mind.

_If I can get Ron to listen to me, he could get into the Ministry and try to persuade the council! He can help argue Draco's case! As long as he's willing to listen to me…_

Suddenly empowered by the thought of his plan actually working, Harry crossed the shed floor to where he saw his broomstick leaning in the corner. He grabbed the broom handle confidently and strode quickly out of the shed. Then he thought of the others. Turning to look back on the house, he wondered if leaving without them would be the right thing to do. After all, look at what had happened when they tried to help him. No, it was too dangerous. He wouldn't risk their lives again. This was something he had to do on his own.

With one last glance at the house, Harry mounted his broom. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then shoved off from the ground and flew high into the air.

He would head for the train station soon but first, there was something at home he needed to get.

-- --

I know it's quick, but things will start picking up again soon! Promise!


	16. Hope Fails

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

I know filler chapters aren't tons of fun to read, but just think! It means awesomeness is just around the corner! So keep on reading and keep on reviewing my fabulous followers! :)

-- --

**Draco Malfoy's point of view**

-- --

**Hour one**

_I can't remember what happened. Where am I? I can't move my body. I can't see. I'm slipping….somebody help me._

**Hour two**

_The floor is so cold. It smells like something is rotted in here. It's so dark. I can taste blood. My body hurts too much to move. What is going on? Where is Harry?_

**Hour three**

_They hit me. They beat me until I couldn't feel the pain anymore. I can feel the blood all around me. Screams. Screams are everywhere. Are they coming from me? I can't tell. I can't feel anything. They're yelling at me, trying to get me to say something. I can't hear them. It's all just white noise. White, blinding, torturous noise._

**Hour four**

_Silence. I'm alone. I can barely see my eyes are so swollen. I can see a mattress on the floor in the corner. I can only assume I'm in a jail or something. Fucking Ministry. I know what they want and I'm never going to give it to them. They can't make me admit what I didn't do just by brute force. Let them torture me all they want. I can stand it. Harry won't let them do this to me. He promised we'd stay together. He won't let me go to Azkaban. _

**Hour five**

_The pain is too much. I scream to try to lessen the fire scorching through me. It hurts so much. I can't take it anymore. I can feel each throb of the blood pumping through me. Each beat of my heart hurts more than the last. I can't keep going like this. I can't keep going. I can't get through this. Save me, Harry._

**Hour six**

_Harry, where are you? Why don't they just let me die? Why can't they just kill me and get it over with? I need the pain to end. I need it to be over. I can't take it anymore!_

**Hour seven**

_I don't want to live anymore. Death, take me. End it. Please. _

-- --


	17. Light Gives Way

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Even _I _hate writing Harry and Draco apart. I'll try my best not to leave you guys in suspense for very long. Buuuut sometimes it's fun ;)

-- --

It was several hours past dark when the immense castle of Hogwarts came into sight. Its majestic towers sitting proudly on the hill glowed faintly by the sporadic yellowed windows. A feeling of serenity washed over Harry as he flew ever closer to what had been his favorite place in the world for so many years. He could feel the overload of magic pulse through him. It lifted his spirits significantly. In the fortress before him, he had witnessed and overcome the extraordinary and the impossible. Now, that same courage caused him to lift his chin and press forward faster in confidence.

When he finally reached the castle, he couldn't help but fly around it, taking in every little detail he missed so much. The grounds, the stone archways, the stained glass windows, everything.

The sight of Hagrid's hut reminded him of what he came here to do. Angling his broom in that direction, Harry flew towards the small illuminated residence of his favorite guardian at Hogwarts. The steady stream of smoke rising from the chimney reminded him of the night Hagrid hatched the baby dragon Norbert by himself. The memory almost made Harry smile.

He pulled the broom up along side the front steps of the hut and jumped off, landing just before the door. He pounded on the door three times. With luck, Hagrid would know exactly where Ron was in the Forbidden Forest. Or, if Ron's parents had found him, where they took him.

_And Ginny, too…_ he suddenly thought. He bit his lip and ran his fingers through his wind swept hair. Things may become a bit more difficult than he had planned. When the door finally creaked open, Harry did a double take and almost laughed. Ron stood in the doorway with a mixed look of surprise and annoyance.

"Harry…didn't expect to see you here."

Despite all that had happened, Harry felt the sudden urge to jump up and hug Ron. He was elated that he could get straight to the point of talking with Ron instead of having to search for him for who knows how long. It also meant getting to Draco sooner.

"I didn't exactly expect to see you here either! Could I…?" Harry motioned to the door with his hand. Ron shrugged and walked away, leaving the door open. Harry took this as an invitation, so he stepped through and closed the door behind him. He took a moment to take in the inside of the hut. Nothing had changed. Then he blinked as he realized something quite large was missing.

"Ron, where's Hagrid?"

Ron flopped down on one of the couches next to a giant tan and black Newfoundland who immediately got up from its spot on the end to lay its huge head on Ron's lap. Harry looked at him curiously.

"And what happened to Fang?"

"Fang's dead" Ron stated, voice void of emotion. "Been dead a year now. This is Chester. A much better guard dog, in my opinion. Not a bloody coward like Fang."

Harry took a seat in one of the oversized and very worn armchairs.

"And Hagrid?"

Ron took a hand and laid it casually on top of Chester's head. The immense dog looked up at him as a larger than life tongue rolled out of his mouth. Ron's gaze never left the canine.

"Hagrid's been up visiting his Giant relatives for a few days. Told him I'd take care of things while he was gone. Figured I'd finally get some time alone after Mum 'n' Dad left with Ginny."

Harry winced at his accusing voice. It wasn't going to sway him, though.

"Ron, I need your help."

A scowl crossed Ron's face as he started running his hand over the big black patch on Chester's forehead. "Of course you do. What else could possibly make you come all this way? Not to see if I was ok or anything, that's for damn sure."

Harry glared at him. He'd had just about enough of Ron's attitude. "Don't start with me, Ron. I need your help because Draco's in trouble. The Ministry took him."

Ron's hand froze behind Chester's ear. He eyes widened as he continued to hold his stare down at the dog.

"Bloody hell" he muttered as much to himself as to Harry. "They weren't supposed to take him yet…I didn't think they would."

Harry leaned forward to try to make eye contact with Ron. "Well, they did. And now I don't know where they have him or what they're going to do or how to save him! Please, Ron, you have to help me!"

Ron lifted his gaze to stare back at his fellow wizard. Even though their eyes were locked, Ron's mind was elsewhere, quickly thinking through possible situations. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he focused back on the person in front of him.

"Give me one good reason" he gritted through his teeth. Harry's eyes bulged.

"You sodding git! I came here for your help because I thought you would be man enough to put aside whatever the hell is wrong between us to save a friend!"

Ron's face started to go red with anger. "Malfoy may be your boyfriend, Harry, but he is _not_ my fucking friend."

Harry loudly interrupted what sounded like the beginning of a long tirade. "Then help me save someone who's going to be given the worst conceivable punishment for a crime he didn't commit!"

Hoards of anger and frustration passed through them as they stared at the other, unblinking, for several moments. Then Ron's jaw set and he turned away, eyes searching the floor for some unknown truth. Harry watched as he saw what he knew was an intense internal battle being fought in Ron's mind. He knew he was torn between his unbelievable stubbornness and wanting Harry to forgive him. Harry watched silently and patiently while the battle was fought. His body was tense in anticipation. If Ron refused to help him, he had almost no chance of getting Draco back. Finally, after several minutes Ron closed his eyes and drew a long breath through his nose.

"He's probably in the dungeon, in the basement of the Ministry. You can't get there using the elevators. There's a different way only specific members of the Ministry know to, you know, keep things safe."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Specific members such as yourself?"

Ron nodded slowly and Harry grinned. "Alright then! Let's go!" He made to stand up but stopped short when Ron looked at him seriously.

"I'm not going –"

Harry gasped sharply and jumped to his feet. "RON!"

Ron glared fiercely at him and stood up. "Would you shut up and let me finish?"

Harry snapped his mouth closed and waited in confusion for him to go on.

"I'm not going except under one condition."

Harry stared at him to continue but Ron averted his eyes to the floor, shuffling one foot and jamming his hands in his pockets. A faint tint of pink crept through his cheeks before ever so quietly mumbling his condition. If Harry hadn't been listening intently, he might have missed it.

"Forgive me?"

Harry's face lit up and broke into a wide grin as relief washed over him, grabbing Ron in a tight hug. He kissed Ron on the cheek, not caring when his face turned scarlet at the sudden show of affection. Ron smiled sheepishly up at him.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'?"

Harry laughed and punched him in the arm. "I've been waiting almost a year for you to ask me that, you stubborn bastard!"

Ron laughed along with him. "Yeah, well…" his voice trailed off, deciding not to bring up the past. Harry understood though, and put his arm around his best friend's shoulder.

"Well, mate, we're about to face some really intense shit" Harry's voice quieted, making his next point very clear. "But I'm glad you're here again."

Ron let out a stressed sigh. "Yeah. So am I. Now let's go save your Slytherin boyfriend."

Overflowing with hope and confidence, Harry ran outside the hut to grab his broom. Ron followed soon after, his own Nimbus 2009 in hand. As they mounted side by side, Ron looked over at the back of Harry's broomstick.

"What's in the bag?" he asked. Harry glanced behind him at the light brown satchel tied tightly to his broom.

"Sometimes it's easier for one person to sneak into the Ministry rather than two" he hinted.

Ron furrowed his eyebrows in confusion until comprehension broke out over his face, his mouth widening in a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Wicked, you brought the Invisibility Cloak!"

"Never leave home without it" Harry winked. Ron just shook his head and chuckled.

They both launched into the air, swiftly leaving everything of their past behind them. Harry couldn't help but feel this was a sign of things to come. Whatever happened, he had Ron by his side again, and nothing was going to stand in their way.

Not even the entire wizarding government.

-- --


	18. Dragon's Den

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Alright I'm starting to get into very messy details with this and future chapters, so if you're a diehard Harry Potter book fan and I get some things wrong, please don't get too mad at me! I'm trying to write this with nothing but the internet to help me along since all my books are inaccessible at the moment…I'm trying my best to be as accurate as possible! Give me some slack and review your brains out!!!

-- --

By the time the eerily empty streets of London came into view, the first rays of sun were just beginning to appear over the horizon. Harry felt dazed. His sleep schedule had been so messed up the past few nights, never sleeping well when he finally did pass out. The feeling of being tired had long since past. He was flying without thinking now. It took most of his will power to stay conscious as they neared a cobblestone street. Ron took notice of this and kept checking over his shoulder to make sure Harry was still awake. Before they were about to land, he pulled back on his broom so his leg bumped next to his. Harry looked up groggily, blinking to try to focus his eyes.

"Alright there Harry?" Ron asked, slightly worried. Harry just stared in his direction, not quite able to look directly into his eyes. Ron took this as a 'no'.

He put an arm around Harry's waist and pulled him firmly to his side. Wrapping Harry's arm around his own neck, Ron held him securely as he led both brooms down to the street. He slowed the brooms to a steady halt, hovering just above the ground so Ron could stand and lift Harry off his broom. The clattering of the broomsticks against the old stones that made up the street echoed dangerously against deserted buildings.

Ron glanced around him nervously. Even though he knew the place was dead, the shadows cast by old streetlights and the sporadic howling of the wind didn't help make him feel any more at ease.

With an exhausted mumble, Harry fell hard against him. Stumbling slightly from the sudden weight, Ron steadied himself, keeping a firm grasp on Harry.

"Steady, mate. Here, this might help a bit."

Pulling his wand from his back pocket, Ron lifted his hand and laid the tip of his wand lightly against Harry's forehead. He muttered a few words under his breath and a faint green light glowed where his wand touched Harry's skin. Harry gasped as a warm, comforting heat flowed down through his body. He felt almost instantly refreshed. The feeling wasn't exactly normal, but all exhaustion seemed to have been wiped away from every inch of him. Ron pulled his wand away and Harry jumped slightly. He couldn't help but smile, he felt so good.

"What did you do?"

Ron shrugged. "It's an energy restoring charm I learned from Charlie when we had to fly overnight to different countries. Makes you feel like you had a full night's sleep. Can't use it too much, though. Your body starts to reject it and shut down. You alright now?"

Harry nodded and licked his lips, eyeing the dirty street and boarded up shops. A single bright red telephone booth stood out sharply against the grey and lifeless setting. He turned and eyed Ron suspiciously.

"We're taking the visitor's entrance into the Ministry? Isn't that sort of…obvious?"

Ron snorted. "That's the point. If they see me coming doing the visitor's entrance, then I'm showing them I have nothing to hide. I won't be looking like I'm trying to sneak in. Get it?"

A smirk found its way across Harry's face at his friend's cleverness before suddenly frowning. "Wait, what about me?"

Ron gestured toward the satchel on the ground. "Invisibility Cloak."

"You think that'll actually work?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. Ron shot him a look of annoyance.

"You got any better ideas? Besides, we're not trying to fool everyone in the Ministry. Just the few we might run in to. But we _have_ to do it before the rush of all the employees getting to work. Once this place gets busy, we'll never be able to get back out without being spotted." Ron looked up at the sky which was gradually turning lighter shades of blue. "So we'd better hurry. I'd say we have just a few hours before it gets mobbed."

Harry grabbed his bag and took out the carefully folded cloak. Tucking it under his arm he picked up his broom and ran over to a nearby dumpster, gently placing it inside. Ron did the same and then the two made their way to the telephone booth. Harry held two ends of the cloak and let the rest roll unfolded, billowing out when the wind caught it.

They stood in front of the red booth's door. Flipping the cloak around him and his body disappearing with it, Harry followed very closely as Ron stepped into the cramped and narrow phone booth. He grunted as Ron accidentally pushed him into the wall trying to get to the phone. Ron picked up the receiver with a glare in Harry's direction to keep quiet, getting an invisible eye roll in return.

Ron punched the numbers 62442, M-A-G-I-C. From somewhere inside the booth a woman's monotone voice floated above them.

"Name and business."

"Ronald Weasly with business in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement" he answered clearly. They heard the clink of metal and a silver badge popped out of the change deposit part of the phone. Ron clipped the badge with his name on it to his sweatshirt and hung up the phone. A sudden jerk of the booth and the floor began to sink under the street, slowly taking the boys underground.

Then, Harry started to feel warm.

It seemed that with each inch lower into the ground the heat crawling across his back got hotter and hotter. He grabbed Ron by the shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip to keep from making any sound. It felt like a hot iron brand was pricking at his skin then digging into his flesh. All Ron could do was put his hands over Harry's through the cloak. His panicked face searched the empty air for any signs of distress. Harry was breathing hard through his nose, tasting blood from his bottom lip as his teeth broke the skin.

Then the lift came to an unsteady halt and the fire was gone. He leaned against Ron with silent gasps of air. Ron tightened his grip on one of his hands questioningly, receiving a pat on the shoulder in reply, saying that he would be ok. Harry stood up straight again and took a deep shuddering breath.

The door opened with a squeak, opening to the grandly designed and glittering gold Atrium. Gilded fireplaces lined one of the halls for arrivals and departures. The arrival fireplaces randomly blazed a sudden burst of lime green flame as wizards and witches stepped through and onto the polished wood floor.

Harry followed Ron as silently as he could over to a large wooden desk, carefully avoiding a few people as they rushed past. The Atrium was relatively empty compared to the previous times Harry had been here. When they stopped at the security desk, Harry had to grip the edge of it. His whole body was shaking from his scar's previous sudden activity. He felt as though he might pass out.

An overly cheerful woman in her late thirties sat behind the desk. As soon as she saw Ron her face lit up.

"Oh! Mr. Weasly, how good it is to see you again! I do hope everything is alright with you. Terrible thing to have happen to your father. Such a nice man, he was. He will be missed. Be sure to tell him that, won't you?"

"Of course" Ron replied with a smile. A crushing grip from Harry on Ron's arm told him to get on with it.

"Ah, um, I was told that Draco Malfoy was finally caught?"

The woman's face suddenly became very serious, leaning over her desk and speaking in a hushed tone.

"Yes. Just yesterday. They kept him in the dungeon overnight. His hearing is tomorrow morning. He doesn't stand a chance though. Not when he's a Malfoy."

Harry gritted his teeth together and Ron nodded grimly.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind I'd like to go down to the dungeon. Have a word with him, so to speak. He's caused me a lot more pain than he may realize, and I'd like to have him know that before he's sent off."

The woman spun her chair around and started digging through a drawer filled with keys. "Yes, yes, I completely understand! No need to explain to me, Mr. Weasly. If I were in your position I'd have a few choice words for him myself!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron, amazed by the even tone of his voice. Ron had become a lot more confident in himself over the past few years, giving him a much more powerful air about him when he knew what he was doing.

Finally after fishing around the drawer the almost hysterical woman produced a large iron ring with six heavy metal keys attached. One key was much rustier than the others, and it was this one she pointed to.

"This is the key that opens the first door to the dungeon. The keys after it follow the order of doors you have to go through, the last being the one to unlock the prison door of course. You won't need to trouble yourself with the other keys. A man by the name of Briggard will take the keys from you and lead you down the rest of the way. For safety reasons."

Ron took the keys from her and flashed a smile. "'Course. I'm happy to know there's so much separation between the outside world and him."

The woman nodded vigorously in agreement and waved her hand toward the large golden gates behind her. Ron tilted his head in thanks and walked swiftly through the gates to an empty elevator. Harry followed smoothly behind him.

Ron picked a relatively empty elevator, just one other passenger riding with them. Harry pressed himself in the opposite back corner to avoid any possible contact. The second the doors closed the elevator plummeted, Harry feeling like his stomach just jumped into his mouth. It came to an abrupt stop in seconds, the doors opening and a voice echoing through the quarters.

_Level Five: Department of International Magical Cooperation_

The other passenger stepped off the lift and narrowly missed bumping in to two other people going down the hallway in front of them. The two new passengers joined Ron and Harry and the doors closed again. The elevator dropped again for a few seconds before its doors opened to a very nicely furnished and open room.

_Level Two: Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

Ron let the two other passengers step off the lift before following them into the brightly lit room. He watched them walk together to the right towards the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, not moving until they disappeared behind a corner. Then he turned and searched the empty room for Harry, getting an invisible hand on his shoulder as a response. They both looked down the darker hallway to the left, the one that lead to the dungeons.

"Ready?" Ron whispered.

"Yeah" Harry breathed. Ron gazed at the spot of air he assumed was where Harry's face was.

"It may not be pretty. You probably won't like what you see. They do things to the prisoners here, hurting them without magic so they can't defend themselves well in court and the Ministry can't be blamed for tampering with them."

Harry swallowed hard. "Just go." Ron sighed an 'ok' and gripped the keys firmly as they made their way down the dim passage toward the first giant wooden door.

-- --


	19. Carved In Stone

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Hahahah geez if I had known you guys would get angry with me, I would have waited till I wrote this chapter before putting them up! I'm so sorry for ending it like that and I'll try not to do it again! ....or will I? Maybe if more people REVIEW I'll save you the torture ;) This is one of my longest chapters so I think you should review tons anyway. Hint, hint.

-- --

**Harry Potter's point of view**

-- --

I held my breath as Ron inserted the heavy metal key into the medieval style dungeon door. It clicked and ground against the iron levers and bolts inside the key hole, the kind of noise that sends shivers up your spine. I knew that Draco wasn't directly behind this door (we still had 4 more to go through), so why was I so on edge already? This was ridiculous. If I couldn't control myself now, how was I supposed to function when the last door appeared?

Ron leaned against the door, pushing all his weight against it to gradually swing the thick wooden slab open. He stumbled forward into the other side as I glided soundless next to him. It was much darker and colder on the other side. The only light available was provided by the evenly spaced torches that lined the stone hallway walls. Off in the corner, almost hidden completely by shadows, was a decrepit looking fireplace. Probably once used to get prisoners quickly from the Atrium to the dungeon, but the beat up rod iron half fence blocking it suggested that it hadn't been used in a century or two.

Before us stood a man in all black robes. His face was set hard, giving him a permanent stressed look as he glared at Ron. He towered above the both of us, and honestly, I was frightened. How were we supposed to break Draco out with a guy like that standing in the way? I shook my head trying to rid my mind of all "what if" scenarios. We were going to do this. This was going to happen. We were going to get Draco out.

"Mr. Weasly?" the menacing man asked in a gruff voice. He held out his hand to him, not for a handshake, but rather for the keys.

Ron handed over the ring of keys immediately. "Uh, yeah. Mr. Briggard I presume?" Ron tried to smile up at him but failed miserably. Briggard just narrowed his eyes at him.

"Follow me" he ordered, lifting one of the torches from its holding on the wall. Ron took an uneasy breath and followed steadily behind him, me right by his side.

We followed the grey stone hallway for a while. It was hard to tell exactly where we were going as Briggard was so large he almost touched both walls. It _was _narrow to begin with, but I kept careful track of when the hallway turned for when we had to run back.

After several serpentine type turns, the hallway flared out to encompass three separate doors. Each was carved from wood and had large plant-like metal hinges that stretched out over half the door's surface. They had little windows with bars over them. Briggard stood before them and flipped through the keys, stopping at one longer than the others. I saw him run a finger over the key for a moment before turning sharply toward Ron. His eyes held nothing but suspicion.

"What business do you have with _him_?" he asked acidly.

Ron's eyes bugged as his mouth opened and closed quickly, trying to form words but too taken aback to make any sounds come out.

"I…I want him to know how much pain he caused me. And…" he bit his lip before continuing, eyes shifting briefly to where he thought I was. "…and how much pain he was going to have ahead of him."

I closed my eyes. I wished he hadn't paused when he said that. I knew he didn't mean it, but how was he supposed to be convincing if he sounded like he didn't believe what he was saying?

Briggard stared at him for a moment before grunting and choosing the middle door. I jabbed my elbow into Ron's arm, receiving a death glance in return. Things began to seem a little less hopeful. It was going to be a miracle if we got out of this alive.

I heard metal scrape against metal as the key was slid through the lock. A small shock of heated pain sparked along my back. I sealed my lips shut but it was gone in an instant. I heard the key turn. Another agonizing spark. I squeezed my eyes shut. The lock clicked. Two fiery shocks. I heard the door swing open. A quick shot of heat flew across the scar on my back and disappeared. My eyes popped opened as I let out a loud breath.

_Damn_

This was not going to be easy.

We walked through the second door, the corridor ahead damper and dingier than the previous. It was wider though, allowing Briggard to turn his head to face Ron as he walked.

"Guess I can't blame you, wanting to throw it in his face. Kick 'im when he's down, I say. Bloody Malfoy."

My nostrils flared. He had no right to say _anything_ about Draco.

"Deserves it too. 's not right, what his father did to that Muggle. Everyone knows his son's just like 'im."

My breaths were coming in huffs, trying to control my anger. Who the fuck did this guy think he was? I ground my teeth as silently as possible and glowered at the back of Briggard's head.

We were nearing the end of the hallway. I could see five doors now as the corridor opened up. Briggard made his way over to the second from the left.

"The whole lot of 'em" he continued, "Bloody disgrace to wizards. They can all rot in Azkaban for all I care. Lucky for us, these two Malfoys will. Just wait till you see 'im" he grinned, "I get all the satisfaction in the world watching him squirm on the floor, screaming like he does. Seeing him so weak and pathetic just makes my day."

That did it.

I was somehow able to suppress the snarl I had building in the back of my throat, but I couldn't control myself as I lunged for him. Ron heard me and wrapped his arms around the air next to him, trying to grab hold of me before I did anything stupid. He missed. I had taken one leap before the key went into the lock. The fire started again. The pain sparkling across my back was enough to bring me to my knees. My hands clenched themselves hard into tight fists as I kneeled on the ground. With a turn of the key the blaze I felt running up and down my back intensified. I doubled over with my forehead almost touching the ground. Quick bursts of air expelled from my mouth scattering dust and dirt across the stones that made up the floor.

The fire fizzled away as the door swung open. I just kneeled over on the floor panting. I couldn't do this. We still had two more doors to open. If the pain kept getting worse with each door we went through, I wouldn't be able to keep silent. I'd give myself away before we ever reached Draco.

Ron stepped forward to follow Briggard through the door. I grabbed his ankle as he stepped in front of me.

"Ron…" I rasped as quietly as I could, "I can't…"

He paused in his stride for just a moment before taking it back up and moving swiftly through the door. I didn't know if he heard me or not. I watched the two figures snake around the corner and disappear. I blinked as I noticed the door was still ajar. Were they all kept open? I couldn't remember them closing.

I sighed heavily and pushed myself off the floor to sit against the wall. The cloak had fallen around me and I left it there, hoping no one would be coming. I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose. I had to get control of this scar thing. As long as there was still danger around, this would keep happening. At least I knew it wasn't just connected with Ron anymore. I suppose it's just danger in general. How could I stop it from happening? I could be risking the lives of others with my scar acting up like this.

Others…

I leaned back and rested my cheek against the cold stone wall as I thought about the people I had left behind. Hermione, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Susan…

_I wonder what they're doing_ I thought glumly. I closed my eyes remembering what it was like to have everyone together, before any of this started.

The echo of a door opening sent my whole back blazing. The surprise of the pain made me gasp out loud and I quickly jammed my fist against my mouth to stop me from crying out. I bit down on my hand as I squeezed my eyes shut, a tear running down my face. Then it was over again. I relaxed my jaw and removed my sore hand. I ran a finger over the bite marks I had left. My heavy breathing was audible, but at least no one was around to hear it.

I sighed again, dropping my head into my hands. Images of Draco in his cell kept flashing through my mind. I couldn't stop the endless array of questions that haunted me.

_How bad was it? Would he be awake? How badly did they beat him? Would he be bleeding? What else did they do to him? Could he walk out on his own? Would he even be able to stand? Could he be…_

I swallowed thickly at the last question. I didn't want to think it. I didn't even want to consider it. The question ran through my mind again anyway.

_Could he be dead?_

I felt my eyes start to prick with the beginnings of new tears. I shook my head furiously trying to get the question out of my mind, but it held fast, engraving itself into my every thought.

_Dead. He's dead. They killed him. He's not moving. He's not breathing. He's cold. Cold as the floor his body lays on. He's dead. _

A few tears flowed freely down my cheek. I brushed them away and looked down the corridor. I couldn't just sit here and wait.

I slowly made to stand up, my hands against the wall for support. My legs shook so badly I slumped to the floor again. For some reason this angered me. I snatched the cloak off the floor and stood straight up. Bad idea. My head spun and my eyes fluttered. I felt my body sway before my back hit the wall. Closing my eyes I pressed my forehead to the wall letting the coldness take the edge off how faint I felt.

After about a minute like this I opened my eyes again, glad to see the room stopped spinning. I made my way carefully down the hallway. It was a lot shorter than the others and I could see a large room of doors ahead. One of the many doors was opened and I knew they had gone through it. I decided to wait here, at least so I was able to see Ron coming.

_With Draco, hopefully_…

A glow of red from the hallway through the open door caught my eye. I stared at it as it quickly disappeared. A distant thud caused my heart to skip a beat. Another glow of red sent my nerves on edge. Someone was trying to knock the other out with a spell and it must not have worked the first time. A crash echoed through the hall and made me jump. I clutched the cloak to me as I waited, wondering who was going to be running down that hallway.

Suddenly I heard a creaking sound and realized in horror that the door in front of me was beginning to close on its own. I was about to run towards it when I heard the same sound down the corridor behind me. I whirled and stared with horrified eyes.

_All the dungeon doors are closing!_

I pivoted towards the door Ron had just gone through and whipped my wand out. I didn't think _Alohomora_ would be quite enough to get back through these doors.

"_Impedimenta!"_ I shouted, thrusting my wand forward. The spell hit the door and I saw it slow its closing to a crawl. It should hopefully give Ron enough time to get through. I sprinted the opposite way and cast the same spell on the third door as I ran through it.

Flying down the hallway I finally saw the second door, inches away from shutting. I leaped at it, swirling my wand.

"_Reducto!"_

The spell hit the door with an earsplitting crack as it exploded in a hundred chunks of wood. Nothing but the hinges remained. I stared at it for a moment. _Reducto_ had never been that powerful for me before. I forced myself to focus and I ran down the hallway as fast as I could possibly go. I reached the very first door we went through just in time to see it seal shut and lock in place.

_NO!!_

My body hit the door, slamming my fists against it in helpless rage. Shoving myself away I backed up and pointed my wand furiously at the door.

"_Reducto!_" I screamed. The spell connected with the door and melted in a yellow smoke. The door stood without a scratch. I tried it again. And again. And again. My arm fell to my side hopelessly. No amount of magic would open that door. I kicked the wall as the tears spilled over. It didn't matter if Ron had Draco now. We were trapped.

Then, through my tears I caught a glimpse of the battered fireplace. I bit my lip and glanced down the empty hallway before hesitantly making my way over to it. The jar that should hold Floo powder hung to the side by a misshapen hook. With each step closer my heart beat faster, hoping, wishing, _praying_ with all my soul that there was still some Floo powder left. I stood before it and held my breath. Picking up the jar, I forced a peek down into it. I inhaled sharply and my hands started to shake. It was full.

I nimbly set the jar on the ground and eyed the half iron fence blocking the fireplace. Bending over I firmly gripped two separate rods of the fence and slowly shifted all my weight up and back. The sound of rusted metal screeching against stone was horrific, but it was moving.

The end of an echo surrounded me, different from the sound the fence had made. I paused and listened closely, but not hearing a thing. I turned my focus back to the fence when I heard what had echoed before. It made my heart jump into my mouth.

"HARRY?!"

My head snapped to the hallway and I heard rushed footsteps. I called out to the echo.

"Ron! Over here! Hurry!"

With strength suddenly gained, I wrenched the fence from its place and chucked it to the side. I picked up the jar of Floo powder and my cloak, holding them tightly as I stared down the hallway. Suddenly, I saw a shadow off the wall moving hurriedly toward me. I didn't breathe. When I saw Ron finally rush around the corner into view, my heart flew into a wild flurry before sinking like a stone.

Draco was in his arms, unmoving and limp as a rag.

_No…_

All I could do was stare dumbly at him as Ron snatched the jar from my hands and ducked into the fireplace. I couldn't move.

Ron looked at me wildly, out of breath.

"What the hell are you doing?! Get the fuck over here!" he screamed. His voice shook me awake and I dove next to him. He handed Draco over to me. My body started to shake as I held his cold fragile body close to me. His head fell gently onto my shoulder and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying.

_Please…don't let him be dead. _

My lips trembled as I pressed them carefully to his stone-like forehead. Ron grabbed a fistful of powder and chucked the jar on the floor.

"Diagon Alley!" he ordered sharply and threw the powder at our feet. I gawked at Ron in horrified confusion as the bright green flames engulfed us and whisked us away.

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	20. Together and Apart

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

So many people are reading…so few are reviewing. You make me sad!! Except those select few who I love with all my heart because they review every chapter. You know who you are. Follow their example, people!

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Moments later, a bright green burst of flame brought Harry and Ron to a dusty, wide open room. Ron jumped out and looked around, sighing with relief.

"Good. I'd hoped we'd show up here."

Harry carefully stepped out of the fireplace with Draco still tightly held in his arms. He recognized the inside of the building almost at once. The Leaky Cauldron. The fireplace was in the very back corner of the inn but Harry could see the front part of the pub around the corner of the staircase. The owner, Tom, was busily setting up stools and chairs as he got ready to open. Ron walked briskly over to him.

"Ron!" Harry hissed at him as he walked by. Ron just waved at Harry reassuringly. Not sure of what to do, Harry draped the Invisibility Cloak gently over Draco. He knew how fast news tended to travel in the wizarding world. Who knew if Tom would report them to the Ministry?

After a few hurried words between Tom and Ron, he jogged back jingling a key in his hand.

"Room 12" he explained, pocketing the key and running up the stairs. Harry followed as quickly as possible, being careful to avoid Draco bumping into anything. The stairway twisted tightly to the second floor, opening to a maze of doors. Harry saw Ron with the key already in the door and rushed behind him to get into the room without anyone seeing them.

Harry laid Draco on the king-size bed as cautiously as possible, replacing the cloak with one of the blankets he found in the closet. He pulled the blanket to cover his chest and that's when he got a good look at Draco's face.

The sides of his face and jaw were a mix of deep purple and a sick looking yellow. These bruises were large, each one almost the width of Harry's palm. Blood stained the skin around his nose and mouth. With a shaking finger Harry lightly brushed away a few dirty strands of blonde hair that had fallen across his face. He could feel a good sized bump formed on the side of Draco's head.

Harry's fingertips roamed around the bruises and cuts, tracing the outline of a gash that reached from his chin to his right cheek. On his neck were red puffy scratches, probably his own doing.

Where there weren't any signs of battering or abuse, Draco's skin was paler than Harry had ever seen it. It almost looked transparent. Harry ran a finger over these small areas, feeling how cold and smooth they were. A drop of water splashed down on one of the cuts on Draco's neck and Harry realized that he was crying. He turned his gaze up towards Draco's eyes. They were closed and bruised, slightly puffy from being beaten. Harry couldn't help but bow his head and brush his lips against each motionless eyelid. Draco never stirred.

The sound of running water made Harry turn. Ron walked out of the bathroom with his hands in his pockets, staring at the floor.

"The bath is filling up. I left some potions on the sink counter. Charlie gave them to me and I haven't gone anywhere without them. Add them to the water one at a time after you've put him in. It should help with the healing."

Harry got up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Ron looked up at him and sighed sorrowfully.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I've caused you more trouble than I'm worth. It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

Harry cut him off, shaking his head. "No, Ron. If it wasn't for you, I would never have Draco back with me now. Thank you."

Ron grimaced. "Don't thank me just yet. The easy part is over. Now we have to figure out a way to explain ourselves and keep Malfoy safe from the Ministry until we can prove his innocence. Knowing Fudge," Harry's eyes hardened at his name, "he'll have us all behind bars in Azkaban before the night is over."

Harry's heart sank. He knew just as well as Ron that it was true. They couldn't hide from the Ministry for more than a day, tops. They knew everything and could be anywhere at any time. Even if they had a plan to prove Draco's innocence, Draco wouldn't be well enough to argue his case. They wouldn't allow him time to recover, either. Harry looked over at Draco's still body.

"So…what do we do?"

Silence made Harry turn back to the red headed wizard whose eyes were shifting back and forth in hurried thought. Finally he looked up at Harry with wide eyes.

"_You_ are going to stay here and heal your boyfriend. Use the potions I left in the bathroom and then just let him rest until he, hopefully, heals. _I_ am going back –"

"Like hell you are!" Harry shouted angrily. He would _not_ lose the two most important men in his life to the Ministry.

The look on Ron's face was pained. "Listen mate, if we just stay here and wait it out, the Ministry will be at our door within hours. We don't have that kind of time. I need to buy us a few days and you gotta get him better."

He hated to admit it, but Ron was right. Still, it was such a dangerous thing to do; he didn't want Ron there to handle things by himself.

"You don't have to go back to them," Harry pleaded, "you can have your parents try and reason with them. They're going to know you freed Draco. You knocked out one of their own for Christ's sake! They won't think twice about doing to you what they did to Draco!"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but paused suddenly and leaned his head back with a groan.

"No…I can't go find my parents. We left our brooms back by the visitor's entrance, remember? The Ministry will have the Floo Network monitored. I'll only have one shot to go anywhere before they're on me. No, I have to go back."

Harry's eyes traveled to the floor. He wanted to protest, but this seemed like the only option they had right now.

"Okay," he whispered, "just…be careful, alright?"

Ron smirked and put an arm around his shoulder. "You worry too much. I'll try to talk to Percy first. Maybe the whole 'brotherly love' thing will pay off after all."

Harry tried to smile back at him, but worry overtook him. He tugged Ron into a quick tight hug. He finally had Ron back in his life, and now it seemed too soon that he was leaving to risk everything.

"Hurry back," Harry said quietly, "or I'll curse your ass into next week."

Ron forced a laugh. "Yeah, I'd like to see you try." He started backing up toward the door. "Remember the potions. If they're working right, you should start to see some of his injuries disappear within an hour. He'll probably wake up after two or three hours. Good luck."

"You too" Harry whispered as the door was shut. He stared at it for a minute before turning his attention to the statue-like body on the bed.

Pulling back the blanket previously covering him, Harry started removing Draco's clothes. He ripped Draco's shirt down the middle so it was easier to take off and wouldn't cause him any possible pain. All of his clothes had rips and blood stains on them. No one would have been able to guess he was a Malfoy by looking at him. The cuts and bruises on Draco's torso were ten times worse than his face. When Harry saw them, a mangled sob escaped him.

Once all his clothes had been removed, Harry picked Draco up carefully and carried him into the bathroom. The bathtub had been filled perfectly with hot water. Harry slowly dipped Draco's feet into the water, letting his body slide down the tub wall and rest with his head and shoulders above the water. Harry folded a towel in half to act as a pillow for Draco's head on the rim of the tub. He removed his own shirt and tossed it to the side. On the counter he found three tiny flasks; green, purple and yellow. Harry took the green one first.

Removing the cork in the first flask, Harry almost gagged. It smelled like tar. He held his breath and poured the thick green liquid into the water with Draco. He could see it floating on the surface before sinking and blending with the water.

The second flask he opened was, to his relief, a much more pleasant smelling potion. It reminded him of watermelon and blueberries. He easily poured the light lilac colored potion in, watching it swirl around as it hit the water.

When this seemed to mix in with the other potion, Harry popped open the last flask. It smelled very flowery. As it was emptied with the other liquids, it spread out on the surface of the water like an extra layer. Once it reached all four corners of the water in the tub, it dissolved.

Harry took a sponge by the bathtub edge and dunked it deep into the water. He brought it up slowly across Draco's body, bringing the potioned water up his shoulders and neck. Careful around the deep cut on the side of his face, Harry dabbed at Draco's face to make sure every part of skin would be able to soak in the mixed potion. He continued this cycle of shoulders, neck and face until the water became lukewarm. Draco never once showed any signs of movement.

Letting out a loud exhale of air, Harry stood up and grabbed one of the towels hanging on the wall. He pulled the plug on the tub and watched the slightly colored water swirl down the drain. After it was empty, Harry wrapped the towel around Draco's body and carried him out of the bathroom, laying him softly on the bed. He pulled a few extra blankets around him. Looking out the window, Harry guessed that it was around noon. His stomach growled.

_Ron _did _say it takes about an hour for the potions to work…_

Harry grabbed the key and ran downstairs to get some food. 10 minutes later he came flying back up the stairs and back in the room with an armful of food so he wouldn't have to leave Draco again. He was still lying on the bed, still as stone. Harry sat cross-legged next to him and ate a sandwich he had bought.

An hour later, he had eaten half the food he brought. Draco still wasn't moving and it didn't look like any of the bruises were healing.

_Maybe I just cant' notice it yet._

Another hour passed, Harry pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed. Some of the bruises and small cuts had started to heal, but not even a flinch came from Draco.

Yet another hour went by. Harry had pulled up a chair up to the side of the bed Draco was on. He stared at his healing face without blinking. Most of the bruises on his face had disappeared and the gash was slowly shrinking.

_He should be moving by now_ he thought nervously.

After the fourth hour, Harry started to panic. Nearly his whole body had been returned to its original health, but no part of Draco had so much as twitched. Harry was wandering around the room aimlessly, biting his lip. He anxiously shifted his gaze from the floor to Draco, back to the floor then back to Draco.

_What if he never wakes up? Did I do something wrong with the potions? No, Ron would have told me which order they went in. Is it just a healing potion and not a life restoring one? Oh god…it's healing his body but not his soul. He's dead, my baby, my Draco is dead…_

With a shaking hand Harry felt Draco's neck for warmth, a pulse, _anything_ that might prove him wrong. It was as cold and still as the rest of him.

Harry collapsed onto the bed in a fit of tears. Uncontrollable sobs ruptured out his mouth. He felt sick, sick and broken. Breathing was barely possible through the river of tears and pain filled moans. Harry wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hold himself together. He felt like he had just lost his life, everything that mattered to him was just taken away. Then the anger started to set in. Clenching his teeth he ran through the people to blame.

_Percy…Fudge…the Ministry…the fucking Ministry!_

The pain and anguish built up quickly and exploded out of him in a heartbreaking, agonizing scream. He screamed over his love's lifeless body until he had nothing left. He felt nothing anymore, just the cold stabbing wound that took over his whole being and tore him apart. Looking at Draco just sent another round of heaving cries of torment through him. He took Draco's head gently between his hands and cradled him on his lap. He rocked back and forth, sobbing his heart out and babbling apologies to him.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I tried….forgive me…baby I'm sorry…"

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Don't kill me yet! Read the next chapter before you burn me at the stake!


	21. Take Me Away

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Wow this is chapter 21 already. Craziness. Let's celebrate with some reviewing!! Please? Pretty please? It would make me ever so happy. And you know happy writers = quicker updates! Soooo REVIEW!!!

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_Choose._

_I don't have to choose anymore. He's gone._

_Open your eyes._

_I don't want to see him._

_You will have to choose._

_But he's dead!_

_Wake up, Harry. Wake up and choose. _

Harry woke with a start, flinching in bed. He kept his eyes closed and groaned. His whole body ached but his insides felt numb. The throbbing pain in his eyes reminded him that he had cried himself to sleep. That's all he wanted to do; go to sleep and never wake up. He didn't want to deal with what his eyelids prevented him from seeing. The muscles in one of his hands twitched and he realized that he had fallen asleep holding Draco's hand. The thought tightened his throat, but he didn't feel any tears. There weren't any more he could cry.

He moved himself closer to Draco's body, resting his head on his chest through the blankets. Curling up beside him, Harry tried to will himself back to sleep. It was hard though, his heart beating so loudly and distracting him. He pulled his eyebrows together in slight confusion.

_People can't hear their own heartbeats…_

His eyes snapped open and his body froze. It was almost pitch black in the room, save for the light from the moon that barely illuminated the room through the thin curtains. He could feel his heart beating wildly, not matching the steady beat he heard. It was a different beat. A separate beat.

Harry bit his lip, debating whether he should allow himself to hope that is was not his heart beat he was hearing. Maybe it was just his subconscious. Maybe he was just hearing things. Still, the possibility for hope got the best of him. He gradually picked his head up and turned to look at Draco. The moonlit image of his pale face sent a wave of hurt through Harry and he dropped his eyes to his chest. Staring at where the blankets met his shoulders, Harry swore he could see them moving; rising and falling in a steady motion. The thought saddened him.

_Am I really making myself see these things just to keep holding on to false hope? It's so dark. The moon is just playing tricks on me. I can't start thinking like this. He's gone and that's it. _

Even thinking this to himself, curiosity got the best of him. He had to know for _sure_. Leaning over Draco, he hovered his cheek directly above his mouth and nose. He held his own breath and waited in silence. For a few minutes he stayed like this. A few times he thought he felt something wisp across his skin, but he couldn't really tell.

_Could have been the wind, or it could have been nothing at all. _

After not feeling anything for several more minutes, Harry exhaled sadly, broken. It really was just his imagination. A lump formed in his throat as he raised his body to kiss Draco's forehead. As his lips came in contact with Draco's cold skin, he heard a sigh that wasn't his own. Harry sat straight up and backed away from the still body in surprise. His eyes were wide, almost fearful. They moved rapidly over Draco's body, trying to figure out if the sound came from him. He looked down at the stone-like hand he held. Gently he squeezed it. It tightened in response. Harry's breath hitched sharply.

"DRACO!!"

Draco's body jumped at the sudden outburst and his dark grey eyes fluttered open. He looked over at Harry in a confused stupor. Harry's hand flew over his open mouth as his jaw dropped. Seconds went by as he processed what just happened, and then he cried out and tackled Draco in a vice-like embrace that sent them tumbling to the ground.

Through newly released tears, Harry started kissing every inch of Draco's face, cupping it in his hands and stroking the skin with his thumbs. He sobbed with every breath he took. Draco just lay on the floor, stroking Harry's hair and caressing his back, letting him continue with his ministrations.

"Shh, love, it's ok," he murmured hoarsely in Harry's ear, "I'm here, it's ok. I'm not going anywhere. Shh, you're alright, I'm not leaving, I'm right here. It's ok, love."

Harry paused in his feverish kisses to fix his eyes on Draco's face. It had completely healed and was just as gorgeous as ever.

"How do I know you're really here? How do I know this isn't just a dream?" Harry couldn't help but ask, his voice cracking. If he did wake up and Draco was still as motionless as before, he didn't think he would be able to handle it.

Draco seemed to understand and placed a hand over Harry's heart, the other resting on the back of his neck. His eyes shone as they stared intensely into the emerald green before him.

"This is real" he said fiercely, putting pressure where his hand covered Harry's heart. Then he pulled him closer and sealed his lips over Harry's.

The second they connected, all doubt and question disappeared in Harry's mind. He really _was _here with him. The overload of joy and pure happiness exploded within him and he put all his force behind the contact. Their lips moved together with all the passion of a first kiss. Harry's hand lost itself in his partner's hair, clutching him closer to his body. Draco ran his tongue over Harry's bottom lip causing him to open his mouth and accept Draco's tongue eagerly. They deepened the kiss as their tongues joined, gripping each other with hands afraid to let go. Around them, time seemed to stand still. Harry felt like he could stay like this forever, if he didn't have to breathe.

A whimper escaped Harry's lips as Draco pulled away from him. The two lay on the floor together, staring into each other's eyes, panting as they tried to catch their breath. Between them passed a thousand silent words of longing, love and how much they missed being in each others arms. Suddenly Draco shivered violently and Harry remembered that he only had the blankets to keep him warm. He quickly scooped up a weak Draco from the floor and laid him back on the bed, bringing all the blankets he could find to drape over him. Then he climbed into bed with him, joining him under the blankets and pressing his body flush up against Draco's naked form. He started kissing him again, down his jaw and around his neck. When he pressed his mouth against his collarbone, Draco flinched back. Harry worriedly searched his face that was briefly contorted in pain.

"What's wrong?" he demanded. Draco just shook his head.

"I'm fine."

Harry's expression went soft. "Drake…" he pleaded.

Draco sighed. "Just hurts a little to move, is all."

Harry immediately made to move away from him, but he gripped Harry's arms tightly. "Don't even think about it" he grinned.

"But –"

Draco silenced Harry's protest with his thumb, gliding it over his mouth. Harry kissed it and Draco smirked. "No amount of discomfort is going to keep me from you right now."

Harry responded with a firm kiss, repositioning himself to hover over his boyfriend's figure. Draco's hands snaked around Harry's chest to his back, stroking his spine and causing Harry to shiver happily. For a brief moment, Draco felt the frustration of not being in the position to take control, but it quickly passed as Harry started biting gently at his neck. He didn't care at this point. Too much exhaustion mixed with physical weakness and the intense need to be close to Harry overruled his dominating thoughts. As long as Harry was here with him again, nothing else mattered. He gasped and groaned when Harry's tongue found the spot where his collarbone met his shoulder. It was especially sensitive since there had been a huge bruise there earlier this morning. Harry nipped lightly at it before continuing down his chest.

Draco tangled his fingers in Harry's messy black hair as it traveled further down his body. Heavy breaths of air forced themselves between Draco's lips as Harry left lingering heated kisses over his ribs and stomach. He ran his hands over Draco's waist, caressing and gently massaging his hips. One spot on his hip was particularly sensitive and Draco gasped more in pain than in pleasure. It was the same spot where he had been kicked repeatedly. Harry looked up at him, questioning if he should keep going. Draco met his gaze with lust filled eyes.

"Don't stop" he pleaded. Harry hesitated before running his tongue around the area and trailing kisses across the previously bruised hip bone. Draco's head fell back on the pillow, exhaling a breathy moan.

The air escaping his parted lips grew steadily faster and shallower as Harry's mouth traveled down his hip and across the lower region of his stomach. He bucked his hips in reaction but groaned when it caused him more pain than he expected. Harry instantly moved up his body and started gently nibbling and sucking at his neck.

"Maybe –"

"No" Draco exhaled quickly, cutting off Harry's suggestion to stop. He turned his head to whisper in Harry's ear. "I'm not waiting until I heal. I want you so fucking bad."

Hearing the longing in Draco's husky voice caused Harry to groan into his neck. He couldn't help the fear of hurting him though. After all, he hadn't even fully healed, and he had been through so much. He wanted to, of course, but his worry overtook his sex drive.

"Drake, I don't think I can…"

Draco propped himself up by his elbows, clearly annoyed. "And just why the hell not?"

A smile found itself across Harry's face. "Because you were so close to death just a few hours ago I thought you _were_ dead! You don't just come back to life so I can fuck your brains out! I'd probably end up killing you anyway!"

Draco sighed loudly in frustration, falling back on the bed and throwing an arm over his face. "At least I'd die happy." He snapped, turning on his side away from Harry. In all honesty, he felt very sick and very weak. The excitement he felt with Harry brought him to a high his body wasn't ready for. This made him even angrier.

Harry saw him pout and he chuckled, spooning up against Draco from behind. He wrapped his arms around his chest and rested his chin on his shoulder. Draco turned his head around to meet his lips in a slow but passionate kiss. Harry grinned.

"We'll try again in the morning, alright?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "You know how long it's been since we've had sex?"

Harry laughed. "Yes, it was the night before our anniversary. It's only been a few days, Drake. I think you'll live."

Draco smirked. It amused him how Harry could turn off his horniness instantly when the welfare of others was involved. Although extremely irritating, it was a part of Harry's personality that Draco treasured. He always knew he would be taken care of with Harry around.

His face turned serious as he traced a pale finger around the contour of his boyfriend's face. Steel grey stared lovingly into bright green. Harry returned the gesture, stroking the side of Draco's face where the gash had been. Closing his eyes, Draco leaned in to Harry's warm hand.

"Harry…I don't know how I will ever be able to show or tell you just how thankful I am. I owe you my life and –"

"Don't be ridiculous, Draco. I wasn't about to let you suffer in there."

"That's what I mean, though. You could have. You could have left me but you didn't. I'll never be able to express in any words or actions just how much you mean to me, Harry."

Harry cocked his head to the side. "Yes, you can." Draco blinked and stared blankly at him. "Tell me you love me and kiss me."

Draco turned over to face Harry and he took his face between his palms so he could look directly into Harry's eyes. He spoke with all the love and power he could muster.

"Harry Potter, you are my heart and soul. My life is not complete unless you are there beside me every single day. I have never felt for anyone else what I feel for you. Without you, it feels like half of me has been torn away. I love you, Harry, with every fiber of my being."

With that, Draco leaned in and brushed his lips lightly over Harry's. He softly pressed his mouth against his with increasing pressure. Wrapping his arms around Harry's neck, he brought him closer, keeping his lips firmly against his own. The electricity he felt between them was like nothing he had every felt before. It sparked a fire within both of them as they yanked each other closer to keep the feeling going. They both closed their eyes, letting the adrenaline wash over them and heighten their emotions to a fever pitch. They broke the kiss gasping for air, each red in the face.

"Wow" Harry grinned breathlessly. Draco smiled in return and lay back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Harry snuggled next to him, nuzzling into his neck. Wrapping an arm around him, Draco pulled Harry closer. They lay like this in silence.

"Drake?" Harry whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You're everything to me."

The corners of Draco's mouth pulled up slightly as sleep began to overtake him.

"I know, love, I know."

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	22. Sparks

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Yeah, I know it's been a while. Sorry guys. Fluff chapters for some reason are so much harder to write! I can't really say much as this point except review please!! Chapters may come at a slower rate now since I'm not getting a ton of inspiration, but reviews always help :)

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_You know this isn't over yet._

_It doesn't matter. I'm not losing him again. I chose him. I'll always choose him. _

_Do you cast your friendship aside so easily?_

_No…that's not what I meant._

_It's never going to end._

_What are you talking about?_

_Choose right. Choose._

Sunlight filtered through the curtains and brought Harry slowly back from his dreams. He woke up confused. Why did he still have dreams about choosing between Ron and Draco? He knew who he was going to fight for when the time came, and nothing was going to sway that.

Thinking of Draco, Harry sat up with a small gasp, realizing the spot next to him was empty. He sighed in relief when he saw his boyfriend sitting at the table in front of the bed, peeling the shell off a hard-boiled egg in a very bored fashion. Harry chuckled and Draco looked up.

"What's so funny?"

Harry grinned and tilted his head to the side."Nothing. Just never seen you eat naked before."

Draco raised an eyebrow at him, quickly thinking of something witty to say but restraining himself. He focused his attention back to the egg. Harry looked at the table in surprise. There was a bowl of fruit, biscuits, and several other breakfast foods littered about it.

"Where'd you get the food?"

Draco smiled devilishly at the small pieces of shell he peeled off. "It's a lot easier to get things for free when you have no clothes on."

Harry's eyes widened. "_What?!_"

Draco rolled his eyes and gave him a look that said _I can't believe you thought I was serious_. "Relax. The housekeeper left it outside the door this morning."

Harry blushed at his overreaction and then lay back down with a groan, stretching his incredibly stiff body. They had fallen asleep in each others arms and not moved the rest of the night. Emotionally, it was the best feeling Harry had experienced in a while. Physically, he felt like he had been stuck in that position for weeks. He turned his head to check the time when a tight piercing spasm of pain flooded his neck.

"Bloody hell" he grunted, grabbing his neck. Draco looked up from his now fully peeled egg.

"What's wrong?"

Harry groaned again. "However I fell asleep last night must not have been normal. My neck feels like it's going to snap."

Forgetting about his food, Draco got up and sat next to Harry on the bed. "Turn around" he ordered softly. Harry sat up and obeyed.

Leaning his back against the headboard, Draco situated himself so Harry sat between his legs with his back to him. Draco ran gentle fingers over the spot where Harry's neck muscles twitched. Resting his hands on his shoulders, Draco began slowly massaging the base of his neck with his thumbs. He rotated his thumbs in wide circles, gradually adding light pressure. Harry sighed in contentment as the pain started to subside. Something felt a little off to him, though. Draco was being too quiet.

"Drake?"

Silence answered as Draco continued to circle around the tight muscles of Harry's neck, making his motions more concentrated and adding even more pressure.

"Hun? Everything ok?"

Draco just stared at his fingers working the back of Harry's neck. He moved down to his shoulder blades, kneading his skin firmly. A quiet hum of pleasure escaped Harry's throat as the tension was released from his neck. He turned to look at Draco out of the corner of his eye.

"Draco?"

His face was hard as he concentrated his full attention to what his hands were doing. His lips were pulled into a straight line that turned his expression into a grimace. Harry reached back and took one of his hands into his own. Draco's movements stopped, but his eyes never left Harry's back.

"Talk to me" Harry whispered.

"Can't you just enjoy this in silence?" he asked flatly. The sudden shift in mood made Harry turn fully around to face him. With one hand he cupped Draco's cool face, but Draco's eyes shifted away from his.

"Not when the silence is screaming that something is wrong." Harry responded quietly.

Draco's jaw set as he thought for a moment. Lacing his fingers with Harry's, he brought his hand away from his face and stared at him with steel grey eyes.

"It's never going to end, is it?" he whispered.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "What isn't?"

Tearing his eyes away, Draco glared at the sheet on the bed. He breathed deeply through his nose before answering. "I heard you last night, talking in your sleep. You kept saying something about 'choosing right'."

"Oh…" Harry muttered, his hands falling into his lap. Draco's hand flexed into a fist and then loosened, speaking through clenched teeth.

"I can't deny the hope that _I_ was the clear choice in your life, but I suppose with things being the way they are, it's understandable." A scowl at the end told Harry that Draco was clearly unhappy.

He reached to brush away a stray strand of blonde hair that fell out of place, but Draco pulled away and grabbed his wrist tightly. "Still, it would be much appreciated if you told me who you plan on choosing." he snapped, "Then at least I'll have some warning if you suddenly run off to the weasel's aid."

Harry looked somewhat surprised. "I told you what happened. Ron's doing what he thinks is right. I don't have to choose anymore, Draco. I choose _you_."

Draco glanced up at Harry with a hardened stare. "Last night told me otherwise."

A frustrated sigh of air escaped Harry's nose as he jerked his wrist out of Draco's grasp. "Draco, I would go to the ends of the earth and back if it meant spending the rest of my life with you. I don't feel whole unless you're here with me. I thought I would have to decide, but the right choice has never been clearer for me. It's _you_ I want. It's _you _I choose. It's _you_ I want to be with when this is all over. How can I get you to believe me?"

Draco's eyes bore into his with great intensity. "Be here with me when the time comes."

With a quick nod Harry inched himself closer and wrapped his legs around Draco's waist, embracing him tightly and laying his head on his shoulder. He felt Draco's body stiffen in response.

"I'll be right beside you. I promise. I'll fight for you always."

Draco sat there in silence for a few moments before sighing and resting his chin on top of Harry's head.

"Alright" he whispered.

Harry buried his face in his neck as Draco stared off into space, absentmindedly running his cool pale fingers along Harry's spine. He could feel Harry's hot breath warm his skin with every exhale. His eyes focused as something caught his memory.

"There's something else you promised me…"

Harry lifted his head and looked at him questioningly. Suddenly Draco grabbed Harry by the waist and shoved him down on the bed. A small squeak of surprise escaped Harry as Draco swiftly pinned him down. He gave a sly smile when he saw Harry's eyes widen.

"What the bloody hell is up with your mood swings today?"

Draco just grinned, swooping down and grazing his teeth over the weak spot on Harry's neck before running his tongue over it and biting down. Harry gasped loudly as his back arched into him, threading his fingers through Draco's hair.

"God, Draco" he breathed, "I guess you're fully healed."

"Clearly" he stated against the warm skin with a smirk. He thrust his hips forward hard against Harry's boxers to prove it, getting another shuddered gasp from him.

His lips traveled down across Harry's neck and collarbone, his path clear from the red spots he left behind from nipping and biting. He ran his slender fingers over Harry's chest and stomach, sweeping over the increasing rise and fall of his ribcage. A harsh shiver pulsed through Harry as Draco's fingers traced his hips and brushed against the waistband of his boxers. The feeling of Harry's scar didn't faze Draco this time, stroking it lightly without a falter.

Kissing tenderly down his jaw line, Draco started teasing Harry. With his body hovering over him, he dipped his hips down to just barely brush his naked member against the material covering Harry's own. A guttural groan rumbled in the back of Harry's throat as he felt himself harden. Draco repeated his actions again, moving a little closer as he reached the fabric. The third time had Harry arching his hips desperately, but Draco only pinned his waist to the bed to prevent him from getting the satisfaction he craved. Harry groaned and whimpered Draco's name as he continued his teasing motions, begging for more contact. A smirk from his boyfriend was the only response he got.

Pausing in his hip's actions, receiving a small cry of protest, the blonde haired wizard began slowly kissing around Harry's mouth but never letting their lips touch. Harry started fidgeting and squirming under him as the lack of desired contact drove him crazy. His breathing got heavier and his heart beat faster, the teasing becoming unbearable. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Draco…" he pleaded through gasps of air, "please…"

"Shh, love" Draco purred with a grin. His nose drew a line across his flushed face and Harry closed his eyes with an impatient sigh. They popped open again with a moan of slight relief when Draco pressed his bare lower half firmly against him. Rocking forward, Draco started deliberately grinding against him as slowly as he could handle. The contact Harry had craved for wasn't nearly enough for him now. He needed Draco's flesh against his. He needed to kiss him. He needed to feel him. But he couldn't. Draco had grabbed Harry's wrists and forced them above his head, subjecting him to more of the torturous physical limits.

Draco ghosted his lips across Harry's which were slightly parted as heated bursts of air expelled between them. A shiver of intense desire crawled up Harry's spine. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt like he was going mad. Draco's actions were too slow, so close and yet not close enough to grant him the release he wanted so badly. The feeling of Draco's naked body rocking unhurriedly against his only increased the pent-up passion within him. He felt like he was going to combust if he didn't get any relief soon.

"Draco…I can't…" he panted heavily, "I need you…_please_."

The platinum blonde halted and bit Harry's bottom lip to make him open his eyes.

"Do you?" he asked, his cool blue-grey eyes flaming with desire. He started moving his hips a little faster against his again.

"Yes," Harry managed to gasp, "I do. I need you. _Fuck_ Draco I need you so much!"

With that, Draco let out a low growl as he broke the boundary he had kept; planting a searing kiss on Harry's parted lips. The forceful groan of final relief from Harry was lost as their mouths sealed together and their tongues collided. Without breaking the kiss, Draco ripped Harry's boxers from his body. Situating himself, Draco thrust forward forcefully, going deep inside Harry. The heated frame beneath him arched and trembled as he forced himself inside his lover. Their lips remained fixed together and, although he could barely hear them, Draco felt the vibrations of each moan issued from Harry's throat with each thrust of his body forward.

They broke apart as their breathing became shallower and labored, gazing at the other with a fire beyond that of love. Draco released his hold on Harry's wrists in order to hold himself up, grunting quietly as he picked up speed. Harry's hands instantly raked through his blonde hair, the other gripping his back. He could feel himself already beginning to lose control, the teasing from before building him up so much. The two heated bodies moved together with no thought of the world around them. They were lost in each other, lost in pure ecstasy.

Harry suddenly felt himself getting closer to going over the edge, and he guessed Draco was right behind him as his body became more rigid with each thrust forward. He could see Draco's jaw tightly clenched, moving faster and more forcefully against him.

"Oh…god…"

"Fuck, Harry…"

"_Draco_…"

Harry soon felt himself being shoved over the edge and he gripped Draco's back tightly. A flare of heat shot through him as his body tensed. He cried out as a wave of release shuddered through his shaking frame, twitching and moaning as he rode out his orgasm. Hearing Harry's groans of pleasure forced Draco to come shortly after, silently stiffening before going slack against him. He let out a long hiss of air through his teeth as he slowly came down. Pulling out of Harry, he collapsed on his back next to him, wrapping his arm around his lover when he curled up next to him. They lay there together, only the sounds of their panting being heard as they tried to catch their breath. Harry looked up at Draco, resting his chin on his chest.

"Convinced that I'm not going to leave you now?"

Draco raised an eyebrow and glanced down at Harry smugly. "If anyone's convinced anyone of anything, _I_ convinced _you_ not to leave."

Harry snorted. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Ex_cuse_ me? Did I not just hear you screaming my name?"

"Well, since you were the only other option besides screaming my own…"

"Fuck you, Potter!"

"Too late for that, Malfoy!"

"And see if that ever happens again!"

"I'm too irresistible for you. You could never leave me!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me!"

"_Draco!"_

Draco burst into genuine laughter at Harry's suddenly horrified face. He rolled over on top of the raven haired wizard and kissed his pouting lips tenderly.

"Of course I could never leave you, you idiot" he chuckled, grinning broadly and resting his forehead against Harry's. "Who else could I shag senseless and still somehow tolerate the next day?"

Harry rolled his eyes and Draco laughed again, kissing his lightning shaped scar. He moved off the bed and headed for the bathroom. He tossed Harry the Invisibility Cloak as he passed it. Harry grabbed it and gave him a questioning look.

"What do I need this for?"

Draco crossed his arms in annoyance. "Neither of us have any decent clothes, me not having _any_, nor do I have a wand to conjure up any new ones. And since your sense of style is close to that of a Troll's, I'd rather go with you and be under the cloak than wait for you to bring back something utterly hideous."

"Fine" Harry said with a sigh. After a few moments of silence he realized Draco was staring at him, leaning against the wall. He had an amused look on his face. Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

"What?"

Draco smirked. "Just wondering when you were planning to join me in the shower."

Harry forced a sarcastic laugh. "And who says I want to shower with you? I can do quite well on my own, thanks."

"Suit yourself" he shrugged indifferently, turning around and entering the bathroom.

Harry sat on the bed in silence for a few seconds before leaping off the bed and running after Draco.

-- --

Thought you guys deserved a bit of hot 'n' steamy action, so I hope you enjoyed it! One more fluff-type chapter before stuff starts happening again, so stick with me! Thanks for reading so far!


	23. Gray Hope

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Thank you guys so much for reading so far! Even though I would really love more reviews, I'm just thrilled so many people are reading! So keep on keepin' on and review your gorgeous hearts out!!

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After quite a long time in the shower, Harry reluctantly dressed himself. He didn't see anything wrong with spending the rest of the day naked with the love of his life. However, he knew Draco hated to be cooped up anywhere for very long so he decided to just go along with it. He watched as Draco tied a towel around his waist and wrapped himself in a blanket.

"What're you doing?"

Draco shot him a look. "I may be invisible with the cloak on, but that won't make it any less cold outside."

Harry looked outside. That hadn't occurred to him. Now he felt bad for having Draco tag along through the freezing November air.

"Drake, I can do this myself. You don't have to come along. I don't want you freezing to death!"

"I've suffered worse" he muttered, securing the blanket around him.

Harry flinched. Even though it wasn't directed at him, he still felt the sting of Draco's words. He could never forgive himself for allowing what happened to Draco. If he had just been a little quicker with his wand, a little faster on the broom, maybe he could have stopped it from happening. He wondered if Draco thought the same.

"But –"

"Shut it" Draco snapped, "I'm going."

Harry sighed in defeat and grabbed his wand from the nightstand. With a swirl of the tip, a small pile of money materialized on the table which he stuffed into his pocket. He turned around just as Draco flipped the cloak over himself and disappeared. As he pulled his sweatshirt over his head, Harry heard the door click open. A barely audible "_shit_" drifted through the doorway. He leaned back to see a newspaper floating towards him and suddenly being thrown on the bed. Snatching up the paper, he read the front headline with horrified eyes.

_Muggle Killer Escapes Ministry_

Harry looked up to see Draco throwing the cloak on the ground and crossing his arms tightly, glaring fiercely at the front page story.

"They're calling _me_ a Muggle killer now" he snarled, his hands balling into fists. "I had _nothing_ to do with my father's actions! How _dare_ they spread such lies!"

Harry made to put his arm around Draco, but he shrugged him off.

"You know just as well as I do that _The Daily Prophet_ makes these kinds of stories twice as bad as they should be."

"Yes, well it doesn't really matter what we know, does it?" Draco spat back. "The whole wizarding world gets this paper every day, Harry. They'll believe every word."

Harry's eyes dropped down to the paper in his hands. He knew he was right. There was no way Draco could go out in public without being spotted, which meant the Ministry would be right behind them.

He skimmed through the article as Draco fumed in the corner. Something didn't seem quite right…

"Huh. Interesting." Draco looked up. "My name isn't in here."

"Holy fuck!" Draco shouted sarcastically, throwing his hands up in the air. "Harry Potter isn't in the newspaper for once! What is this world coming to?!"

Harry gave him a glowering look before chucking the paper onto the table. "Not what I meant, smart ass. For some reason, they refused to put my name in there as either your boyfriend or the person who fought against Fudge to help you. That kind of stuff wouldn't be omitted if the _Prophet_ had anything to say about it. The Ministry is behind this, I think. They don't want my name in there for a reason."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Why does everything always have to be about you? Have you already forgotten that, as of this morning, every single wizard and witch out there believes me to be an escaped convict on trial for assisted murder?"

"Ron's trying his best to take care of it, Draco."

"Then why hasn't he come back yet?"

This made Harry falter. He didn't know why Ron hadn't returned. He should have been back by now. It had been, what, two days? Almost two days. If he didn't have a clear answer by now, then something must have happened. Harry shook the thought out of his head. Worrying wasn't going to solve anything.

"Whatever" Draco grumbled. "Let's just go." He snatched up the cloak and stormed off.

With a slow nod, Harry gave one last look at the newspaper before following a now invisible Draco out the door and locking it.

-- --

Buying clothes was a lot easier than Harry had expected. Except for the constant hissing of every curse Draco could think of when they stepped out into the cold windy streets of Diagon Alley, everything went quite smoothly. As soon as Harry passed through the doorway of the closest robes shop, he was greeted and tended too immediately. This made searching for an outfit up to Draco's expectations simple. All Harry had to do was nod or shake his head at a new piece of clothing presented to him based on if he got an invisible jab in the back or not.

They went to three different shops, the first two for Draco since they held the nicest articles, the last for Harry. He decided to search for clothes himself, thinking that it would be quicker than having outfit after outfit shown to him. Draco, however, wasn't thrilled with having to follow him around the store silently as Harry found a very plain shirt and pants. To make things a little more interesting, Draco took it upon himself to catch Harry off guard by groping his ass whenever someone walked by them. This would cause Harry to jump and yelp in surprise, receiving many strange looks. Harry's face was bright red by the time he ran out of the store, Draco following and shaking with silent laughter.

They stopped back at their room to change. After a long discussion, they decided to chance having lunch somewhere far outside of the Alley. Draco knew of a small restaurant on the outskirts of Knockturn Alley he used to go to when he wanted to get away from the busy streets and people in general. It took quite a bit of convincing, but Draco finally got Harry to agree to it.

"Fine" he sighed, "but the second someone looks at you suspiciously, we're leaving."

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's Knockturn Alley, Harry. They look at the _cats_ suspiciously."

They walked for a while through the dark and gloomy corridors of Knockturn Alley. Hardly anyone was there, to Harry's relief, and the people who they did pass seemed too wrapped up in their own troubles to care about the couple. A hunched man in dirty black robes came up to them at one point, muttering insensible things to himself and unable to take his eyes off Draco. Harry had instinctively put a possessive arm around his waist and pulled him close. He wanted to go back, but Draco just hushed him and under his breath said to keep looking forward.

The deeper they walked through the alley, the dingier and more run-down the shops seemed to be. The amount of people they passed thinned down from just a handful to none at all. When they turned a corner, the street ahead of them looked so terrible that Harry stopped in his tracks. The shops that weren't burnt down or caving in were boarded up and vandalized. It seemed that only one shop was in business, the only window to have a faint light glowing in the distance. Draco coaxed Harry down the cracked cobblestone street, leading him to this shop. A sign hung by two rusty chains above the door and squeaked as it rocked slowly in the wind. Harry squinted to try to read the chipped and faded paint that was the name of the store; _Fossey's_.

Stepping over the broken steps, the two wizards entered the restaurant with a small _ding_ of a little bell over the door. Harry looked around. "Restaurant" would not be the word he would use to describe the place. There were all of two worn wooden tables, each with just four chairs arranged around them. In the back he saw a small fireplace with a couple faded green velvet armchairs and an old red couch that looked to be out of the Victorian era.

_Probably that old, too_ Harry thought. The air of the whole empty place seemed incredibly depressing. Harry guessed that this place hadn't seen a costumer in months.

A loud creak in the floorboards made Harry jump as he jerked around to see a figure in the doorway to what he guessed was the kitchen. A squat elderly woman emerged, wiping her hands on her apron. She bore a kindly but withered face, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she beamed up at her first customers in a long time.

"So sorry, dears! Didn't mean to take you by surprise just then! This poor old place. Falling apart, it is! But no matter. You do what you can! Now, how can I help you, my dears?"

Harry grinned back at her natural cheerfulness. Even in such a terrible place she was able to give out hospitality with a smile. It seemed to lift the depressing atmosphere and replace it with a warm and cozy feeling. Suddenly, the place seemed much more welcoming.

"Do you still have your Foreign Special?" Draco asked.

The woman's face lit up. "That I do, love, that I do! My, my, I haven't had a call for that in quite some time! You must have been one of the regulars back in the busy days. Although you must have been quite young in those days!"

Draco smiled politely. "Yes ma'am, I was young. I always enjoyed coming here though. A nice escape for me from the rest of the world."

She nodded quickly in agreement as she took a rag from her apron pocket and began wiping down one of the tables. "Oh yes, yes, I quite agree. Got to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city now and again. Still, I can't argue it would be nice to have a few more customers once in a while. But you do what you can! No matter, no matter. Please take a seat, my dears!"

They obeyed, taking two seats next to each other. The woman disappeared into the kitchen and Harry grinned after her.

"She's a sweet lady."

Draco nodded. "Always has been."

Harry turned to him, his face soft. "I can see why you liked coming here. It's a nice getaway."

Draco just stared at the table in silent agreement. Harry guessed what was running through his mind; images of him as a young boy sitting alone at an empty table. Harry placed a hand on Draco's knee, stroking it soothingly with his thumb.

"Here you go, my dears!" the bright voice chimed through the kitchen as the woman returned with two Firewhiskeys, setting them on the table in front of them. "On the house" she added with a wink.

"That's very kind of you, ma'am, thank you." Draco replied. She waved her hand in a dismissing way.

"Here now, as a former regular you must remember that I don't do with all that formal nonsense. Just plain Fossey will work nicely. Yes, that's fine. Your food will be ready shortly!" With a swish of her faded floral dress she hurried back into the kitchen.

Harry took a swig of his drink when something caught his eye and made him choke, almost snorting the burning liquid back into his bottle. He coughed harshly, reaching over to the second table and grabbing something off of it. The pile of papers fell on the table in front of them, showing what it had been opened to. The familiar _Daily Prophet_ article about a certain Muggle killer glared back at them. Harry looked up at Draco in alarm. Just then, three things happened at once.

Harry and Draco quickly made to stand up and leave.

Fossey ran back in from the kitchen, her face white as a sheet.

There was a sharp knock at the shop door.

Time seemed to stand still as the three bodies in the room froze. Another few knocks set them in motion again. Fossey grabbed an arm of both of them as a voice thundered through the door.

"Cornelius Fudge from the Ministry! Open up!"

Harry's stomach lurched and he felt like he was going to be sick. All the blood drained from Draco's face.

"Yes, yes! Just a minute, my dear! Be right with you!" Fossey called back. Harry and Draco turned to her, horrified and pleading silently with their eyes. She said nothing but steered them away towards the kitchen.

"Under the rug" she whispered quickly before turning toward the door.

They ran quietly in the opposite direction into the tiny kitchen. An oval purple and maroon rug covered the old tiles of the floor in front of the stove. Draco flipped it over to reveal a sort of trap door. He opened it with little difficulty, ushering Harry down into it. Harry lowered himself down, his feet hitting dirt. He scrunched himself into a corner as Draco jumped down and arranged the rug before closing the door.

It was almost completely black in the tiny crawlspace, save for the small cracks of light that fell through the slits in the warped floorboards. Harry heard the door open and several pairs of feet enter the restaurant. He held his breath. Draco moved over toward him and gripped his arm tightly. They held on to each other as they strained to listen to what was going on in the other room. It wasn't hard as there was no other noise on the entire street besides the present conversation. Harry identified Fudge's voice immediately.

"Good afternoon, madam. I am here on behalf of a very serious matter you should be quite concerned about. I assume you have heard of the escapee from our very own Ministry dungeons?"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course! Why, just this morning I read about it in the paper! Just dreadful. I can't imagine. Makes a poor old woman like myself scared to death just to walk home every night!"

Harry heard Fudge clear his throat. "Yes, well, it's my duty to follow up on these sorts of things, you see, and I heard from a source that the very same vicious killer came by in this direction not moments ago."

Draco suppressed a growl at the mention of him being a killer. Harry took his hand in his own and squeezed it gently.

"Oh upon my word!" he heard Fossey exclaim.

"Have you seen anyone fitting the description of this man? A Mr. Draco Malfoy?"

Harry's heart flew into a frenzy of beats.

_Did she not realize who we were? No, she must have. Why else would she have hid us? Still…oh god, please don't tell!_

"No, no, no one by that description, no. You don't suppose he's out there right now, do you? Oh, my hearts and stars! What a world it has come to! I'm so glad to know we have gentlemen such as yourself working to right this terrible occurrence."

"Indeed" Fudge replied smugly. There was a pause in the conversation that worried Harry. Then Fudge spoke again. "May I ask as to why you have two opened bottles of Firewhiskey on that table there?"

_SHIT!_

"Oh, yes, well you know business hasn't been quite as available as I hoped. Customers and money are getting harder to come by around these parts, you can imagine. You can't blame a woman for wanting to ease the pain, can you?"

Silence. Neither of the hidden wizards dared to move or breathe. If he didn't believe her, it was over. He would have the place searched. They would be found. The silence continued for what seemed like forever. Then the floor creaked.

"No, I suppose not. Thank you for your time, madam. I do hope business picks up for you. Please do your part and inform any authority if you see anything suspicious."

"Yes of course! Thank you very much for your concern. Good day, good day!"

The floor groaned under the weight of moving bodies leaving the shop. It wasn't until they heard the door close did Harry and Draco exhale the breath they had held.

"Too close" Harry whispered.

They heard quick footsteps come towards them and they squinted as light flooded the cramped space they had been kneeling in. Draco nimbly climbed out the trap door and Harry followed close behind. Draco spoke almost immediately.

"Fossey, I can't even begin to thank you for what you just did. You have saved both our lives. I don't know if you believe what they've written in the paper, but –"

"Oh pish posh, my dear" she interrupted with a gesture of her hand. "I've always thought the _Prophet_ to be a load of rubbish. I remember you, you know. Recognized you as soon as you came through the door. I remember you sitting at the table by yourself when you were a youngster. Remember the small talks we had? There was no killer brewing in that heart of yours. Sadness, yes. Hate, no, never hate. And now I see you with this lovely boy." Harry blushed, not realizing that she had seen him put his hand on Draco's knee. "No, I don't think you a killer at all, my dear."

Draco sighed and smiled at the old woman. "Thank you again. We owe you our lives. I think we should go, though. We don't want to cause you any more trouble with the Ministry."

Fossey took one of his hands in hers and patted it lightly. "Of course, love. I hope for your sake they give up on this false chase."

Draco placed his free hand on top of hers gratefully, then took Harry by the arm and led him out of the restaurant. Fossey followed them to the door and waved as they walked back up the street. "Good luck to you, my dears! If you ever need a place to stay, you know where to find me!"

Harry waved back in acknowledgement. A feeling of hope passed through him as the sight of _Fossey's_ shrank behind them.

_We can't be at a total loss…there are still decent people in the world. _

-- --


	24. Break Away

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

Alright, so I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this story going with no solution, but I'm going to try to make it last as long as I can! You won't have to worry for a few more chapters, but I thought I'd give you the heads up anyway :) Anyhoo, PLEASE keep on reviewing!! The more I get, the longer I'll want to keep this story going!

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**Harry Potter's point of view**

-- --

Leaving _Fossey's_ so soon was a bad idea.

The second we turned the corner to go back up Knockturn Alley, Fudge was there, entering another shop. Draco skid to a stop and shoved me into the nearest doorway. He stood as close as he could against me, shielding me. Then I realized that was ridiculous of him to do. If they were looking for him, why would _he_ be trying to hide _me_? I was about to protest when I heard the door close and Fudge's voice disappear. Draco leaned back and checked to see if it was clear, then pulled me along as we ran up the street.

I could feel my heart thudding painfully against my chest, my previously growling stomach forgotten in a wave of adrenaline. We sprinted up the street, dodging random people who I'm sure gave us death glares as we sped by. It didn't matter. We needed to get out of here. We had to leave Diagon as soon as possible. How were we supposed to do that, though? My broom was still, hopefully, in the dumpster who knows how far away.

_What I wouldn't _give_ for my Invisibility Cloak right now…_

Yes, I was a bloody idiot for not bringing my cloak with me. If I actually had some common sense, we wouldn't have to be running for our lives right now.

The loud booming echo of Fudge brought Draco to an instant halt and I ran into him. His voice was everywhere! Draco was turning in circles, trying to figure out where it was coming from. We saw him before we figured out the sound was coming at us.

Fudge was rounding the corner with two of his lackeys and heading in our direction. Before I could open my mouth, Draco grabbed me by the arm and dragged me behind a giant statue of a three-headed dog. The wall was cut away to fit the statue, so we hid snugly between the back of the statue and the brick wall. I curled up with my knees tight against my chest and ducked down, Draco wrapping his body over me and holding me close. Fudge's heavy footsteps thumped closer and closer to our hiding spot, his low muttering voice getting louder with each step.

Fear overtook me. I felt like everything we had worked for, everything we had done, everything we had overcome was gone. Fudge would find us, if not right now then soon. It was impossible to escape the Ministry. They could be anywhere at anytime. Who were we trying to fool, hiding from a man like Fudge? If he wanted to find us, he would with no problem. There was no point in running anymore. He would find us, and then it would be over.

I must have started hyperventilating because Draco clapped his hand over my mouth and whispered harshly for me to get a grip. I just closed my eyes, waiting to hear Fudge's cry of triumph. I held my breath.

It never came. Instead, the sound of three pairs of footsteps passed us by and soon his voice followed. Neither of us dared to move until a few minutes of absolute silence had gone by. I heard Draco exhale a sigh of relief and he fell back against the wall. I stayed in my position, shaking.

"I think we should stay here for a little bit longer" I heard him say, scuffing his heel against the ground. I just shook my head silently. My eyes started to prick with hopeless tears. There was no way we were going to get out of this.

"It's not going to work" I barely managed to whisper. Draco being sent to Azkaban seemed inevitable. And it destroyed everything within me.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. I felt a tear run down my cheek.

"They're going to find us," I managed to choke out, "find us and take you away again."

I expected a snarky comeback or a few harsh words, but instead I felt his arm wrap around me as he lifted me onto his lap. I looked up into his face and something in me died. He was my boyfriend, the love of my life, my blonde haired Slytherin angel, my Draco. I couldn't stand the thought of him being taken away again. I buried my face into his shirt as the tears spilled willingly, babbling almost incoherently and my glasses fogging.

"I-I can't lose you again. I can't. It's going to kill me. They're going to find you and the things that will happen to you…I just, I-I don't, I can't…"

Draco just listened, running his fingers through my hair and slowly rubbing my back. My sobs broke through and erased all the words I was trying to say. It was too much to handle. If Draco was gone, there was no way I could keep going. No way could I survive without him.

"Hush, love." he crooned as he held me close. God, his voice. I cried harder knowing it was very possible I wouldn't be able to hear it ever again. "No one is going to take me away from you if I have anything to say about it."

I sniffled loudly as I tried to regain my voice. "They've done it before. What difference would it make now?"

"We'll be expecting it this time." he explained softly, "We won't be taken off guard. We'll fight them."

I knew as well as he did that his words were solely false hope to make me feel better. We didn't stand a chance. Draco didn't even have his wand! I could hear his voice waver with the same fear and helplessness that I had.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared deeply into those silvery threaded eyes. "I love you. No matter what happens, I will always love you with my whole heart and soul."

He placed cold hands on either side of my face and wiped a tear away with his thumb. I thought I had known intense stares before, but nothing compared to how he looked at me now. "And I you, my love. There is no power in this world that could ever take away my love for you. You will be here, in my heart, always. No trick with a wand can ever change that."

The first thought that came to mind was that this was very un-Draco to be so passionate about his love for me. However, when he kissed me, that small detail didn't matter. All that mattered was him being with me at this moment.

With his lips moving tenderly against mine, we silently screamed just how much the other meant to us. We passed through the passion all the words we could never say, the words that could never be said because there was no way to put these feelings into anything concrete. I wished and prayed with all my heart that we could stay like this forever.

He forced himself apart from me and my eyes fluttered open. Bending over, he trailed the tip of his tongue from my jaw up to the top of my cheek, licking away the tears. Then he kissed my forehead, lingering with what seemed like a last "I love you". Then he stood up and pulled me to my feet.

"Come on," he said quickly, "we'll get back to The Leaky Cauldronand use the fireplace to get out of here."

I felt my eyes pop. "_What?!_ Are you _crazy_?! The Ministry will be on us in a matter of seconds!"

He nodded grimly. "Maybe. But maybe we could get away with it for a few minutes, at least. We can go back to the Weasly's. They could stall them, couldn't they? They like you."

My eyes dropped to the dirty stone ground. "I'm not so sure about that anymore. I got Arthur fired, remember? They may not be so keen on helping me now."

"Well, it's worth a try. Otherwise we're stuck here just waiting for Fudge to find us."

I looked up at him. He was serious. The worst part was, I couldn't think of any argument against it. We would be throwing ourselves into the Ministry's hands in a desperate attempt for more time.

"…alright." I agreed with a sigh. Doing something seemed better than having to deal with the anxiousness of waiting to be caught.

Draco grabbed my hand tightly and we cautiously made our way out of Knockturn. My eyes were jumping from every face in the crowd as we made our way through Diagon Alley. It's amazing how much you feel like a spotlight is on you when you're trying to stay hidden.

Finally, after much dodging and slipping through corridors and groups of people, we made it to the inn. I ran after Draco as he climbed the stairs to our room. My heart was in my throat as I thought of what we were about to do. We'd grab anything we left in the room that they could trace back to us and then we would use the heavily monitored Floo Network to get to the Weasly's house. This was suicide.

We stood outside the door and Draco turned the key. My back felt instantly ignited and I fell against the door. He grabbed me and I hissed in pain. My scar felt like it was being stabbed with a million fiery knives.

"Harry?! What is it? Your back again?"

I bobbed my head in confirmation as I scraped my fingers down the door. This was, by far, the worst flame of pain I had felt.

"S-Something's not right." I somehow said between tightly clenched teeth. I grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open, hoping the pain would decrease.

It did. The fire was put out instantly and replaced with a long chill of terror. My jaw dropped as I looked in the room. I heard Draco suck in a breath of air sharply. The place was completely destroyed. Every piece of furniture had been knocked down and ripped apart. Sheets and blankets were strewn around the room. The pillows each had a gash through them. The floor was littered with unidentifiable chunks of material and broken splinters of wood. We slowly made our way through the door. It took a second for me to realize what had happened.

_They were here…_

Draco came up behind me and whispered in confused horror.

"What the f –"

He was cut off as a man suddenly exploded out of the closet and tackled him to the ground, securing his arms back and knocking him to his knees. Before I could move to get my wand, a second guy jumped at me from behind the bathroom door and slammed me up against the wall. In a matter of seconds I was on my knees in the same position. I looked up, dazed, as I heard the door creak close on its own. Then, Fudge somehow materialized in front of me with a devious smile, his hand pushing until the door clicked closed. It wasn't until I saw what he had in his hand that I understood.

_No…_

"Quite a handy little trinket here, this Invisibility Cloak." he drawled smugly, weighing the bunched up fabric in his hand. The look of pure satisfaction on his face made me want to rip out his throat. He turned his gaze toward me and grinned. "Bad luck, Mr. Potter. Guess you can't win them all."

A bright red flash obscured my vision and everything went black.

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	25. Battles Ahead

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

MAJOR apologies here. I know it's been literally forever and a half since I've updated. But you gotta go with me on this, school has been crazy and I gotta take care of that stuff first! So, as long as y'all can forgive me and keep on reading, I'll keep cranking this stuff out. Enjoy!! And like always, reviews are always fabulous!!

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_Where are you?_

…

_Is it over?_

_As long as you are together, it will never be over._

_I don't believe you._

_See for yourself…_

Loud buzzing in his ears brought Harry back to consciousness. Slowly, his vision blurred from black to moving shapes of light. He blinked several times to focus and shook his head. It ached as it pounded heavily. He cursed the pain under his breath.

_What happened?_

Gradually Harry was able to take notice of the rest of his body. He couldn't move it. His legs felt heavy as he tried to lift his feet. No luck. They wouldn't budge. With the little feeling he had left in his arms, he could tell they were bound behind him.

His head swam as the buzzing he heard grew louder. He couldn't tell if he was sitting or lying on the floor. He felt as if he might faint. Then he remembered what had happened. Fudge. He was in their room…with the Invisibility Cloak. He knocked them out. It really was over. Harry hung his head both in exhaustion and in defeat.

"…er….potter….Mr. Potter…."

Harry blinked again and raised his head. His vision was slowly sharpening as he tried to find where the voice was coming from. It was unfamiliar to him. Fatigue took over again and his head dropped back down. Harry shut his eyes tightly to try to stop the pounding in his head.

"Mr. Potter? Can you hear me?"

The strange voice from before called out to Harry, but he could barely grasp the words being spoken to him.

"Oh, just let him be. He can't possibly have any useful information to back-up the defendant that we can't disprove."

This voice was all too familiar and it sent a shiver up Harry's spine.

"Fudge, this is the last time I'm warning you. Please refrain from speaking out of turn. Mr. Weasly still has the floor."

_Ron?_

Acquiring a new will to focus himself, Harry sat up as straight as he could and blinked a few times to finally clear his vision. His heart stopped beating as he took in a sharp breath of horrified shock. He was in the Ministry Courtroom.

Rows of older wizards and witches in bright red and black robes looked down on him from their seats in a semicircular position in front of him. He could remember the Courtroom all too well. Some members of the jury glared at him with distaste. Others shifted their eyes away from his when they made contact, as if they were just as confused as he. Some weren't looking at him at all. They're attention was directed on the other side of the oval floor. Harry followed their gaze to see Draco, bound to a simple wooden chair with a very tall back. His hands were shackled behind the back of the chair and his feet were securely chained to the floor. He was staring back at the jury fiercely. Harry's heart dropped when he saw the small cuts and bruises around Draco's face.

"If I may continue, your honor…"

Harry's head snapped to the center of the oval where Percy Weasly was standing in a crisp navy blue suit. Harry's jaw set as Percy walked past him and gave him a smug look. That's when he noticed the people sitting in the witness seats over by Draco. A twinge of love and relief flickered in Harry's heart. Everyone was there; Ron, Hermione, Susan, Seamus, Dean, Neville, even Mr. and Mrs. Weasly. Ron and Hermione's eyes connected with his and they both looked at him sadly, apologies written all over their faces. Harry just nodded slightly toward them before facing forward again to see Percy approach the overly tall podium with delicate gold features etched into the corners of the mahogany wood.

Behind the podium sat an elderly man Harry had never seen before. His white hair sat lightly on the crown of his head, wisped to the side. Strands of silver turned into quick flashes of metallic color as the light caught it. Sets of wrinkles lined his face, giving him a very wise and much worn look. The stress of a long life was evident in his dull green eyes and thinly pulled lips. He put a finger to the thin gold rim of his half moon glasses and gestured permission to Percy to continue. The red head cleared his throat.

"As I mentioned before, the Malfoy family has previously shown a long tradition of manipulation, unlawful acts of bribery, and a strong taste for revenge. With the conviction of Malfoy Sr. it seems only too obvious an explanation for the motive behind his only heir seeking some 'justice'."

Percy's overly sarcastic emphasis on his last word and a wide gesture of his hand toward where Draco sat caused some murmuring through the courtroom council. Draco's upper lip curled back in a suppressed snarl. Percy stared right back, undaunted.

The judge silenced the room with a slight lift of his forefinger. "And just what kind of 'justice' are you suggesting he sought out?"

Percy turned back around to face his audience, deliberately waiting a few seconds before speaking to build up the power behind his words. "The attempted murder of my brother, Ronald Weasly!"

Audible whispers flooded the courtroom. The judge ran his hand lightly over his hair and sighed. "Mr. Weasly, we have already been through this. You cannot try to convict the defendant of a new charge of murder. Please remember why he is here. He is on trial for assisted planning and possible accomplice in the murder for which his father was proven guilty of. Nothing more. Is that clear?"

A frown was barely visible forming at the corners of Percy's mouth. "Of course," he nodded, "I was merely offering it as evidence, your Honor."

"Young Mr. Weasly has already testified and denied such claims," the judge stated as he glanced down at Percy over his spectacles. Harry stared at Ron in almost disbelief. Ron just shrugged back. "I am not about to have you contradict every testimony that has been presented. If you wish to continue, I highly suggest you stay with what this trial is really about."

The threatening tone behind his words caused Percy to clamp his mouth shut for a moment or two. Harry could see the muscles working in his jaw. "Yes sir, of course" he gritted through clenched teeth.

"Now, do you have any new evidence against the defendant?"

Percy quickly opened his mouth but stopped short when the judge raised an eyebrow at him in warning. Stalling for a second, Percy finally shook his head and pivoted where he stood to sit in one of the benches behind Harry. The judge nodded in approval, then turned his head to look past Harry.

"Fudge?"

Harry and Draco both spun their heads as far as they could to the center of the room to see Fudge waddle with the utmost confidence to the star design in the very middle of the open floor.

"Cornelius Fudge, do you have any reason to believe that Mr. Draco Malfoy was an accomplice in his father's actions, and/or any evidence to support what has already been stated?"

Fudge stepped directly where he was shielding most of Draco from Harry's view. Even so, Harry could still see his love's eyes ablaze as they bore into Fudge's skull. Harry saw the edge of Fudge's mouth twitch as he forced a toothy smile up at the judge.

_Bastard_, Harry thought as he narrowed his eyes. Even after all the trouble Fudge had gotten into with the Ministry in the past, he knew he still had some sway with the loyal members of the jury. Fudge cleared his throat loudly.

"Your Honor, if I may be so bold, I would strongly implore you to reconsider the new charge of attempted murder. With it you will see a slew of evidence to prove–"

A swift echoing crack of the judge's hand slamming on top of his podium sent a veil of deafening silence through the room. Fudge froze, his mouth stuck open mid-sentence.

"Fudge, you have examined every aspect of every witness from every angle and side of this case for hours on end. Quite frankly, I have heard just about all I can stand of you. I will not have you turn this into your own showcase. You are dismissed from the courtroom."

Harry saw Fudge's eyes widen and bulge in disbelief. A smirk of satisfaction found its way across Harry's face. It took Fudge a few seconds of blank staring before he could compose himself. He waved his hand nervously as if to give the order a passing glance.

"Please, your Honor, I only–"

"I _strongly implore_ you, Fudge, to leave this courtroom immediately before you find yourself in more trouble than you're worth." The judge leaned over the podium slowly towards the sweating man in the center of the room, staring at him over his glasses with a threatening glint in his eyes. "Am I understood?"

Disbelief gradually turned into disappointment as Fudge recognized his defeat. His face fell and shaped itself into a stern but respectful expression.

"Yes, your Honor" he finally strained through the tiny muscle spasms in his face.

As he turned away from Harry, he stopped momentarily to face Draco. "This isn't over" Harry heard him mutter to the chained blonde. Two attendants came forward to escort the overweight wizard out of the room. Before he started to walk away, Fudge sent one last glare Harry's way. Despite not knowing what kind of damage Fudge had done while he was unconscious, Harry lifted his chin in silent victory. The man was gone for good.

The judge massaged his temple with two fingers as he carefully removed his spectacles.

"This concludes the questioning portion of the trial. We will now hear the defendant's last plea and final words. Will the officers please unchain the two wizards before me?"

A sudden exchange of whispers and opinions on what had taken place rippled through the wizards and witches of the courtroom. The sea of red and black robes of the jury swayed as the members turned to each other to quietly discuss. This continued as Harry heard a click of metal behind the chair he was bound to. Like a stone, his arms fell to his sides awaiting the blood to be allowed back through. His feet were soon free but he felt far too weak to stand. He slumped in his seat and watched Draco being let free. His gaze never left the floor.

"Will all witnesses and viewers please exit the courtroom for the final plea?"

Ron and Seamus appeared swiftly at Harry's side to help him to his feet, wrapping one of his arms around each of their necks. They supported him through the center of the room quickly as they joined the others. Harry's body pricked painfully as the blood flowed once again to his extremities.

"Wait," he mumbled, using his voice for the first time that day. "Draco…"

"Sorry, mate." Ron replied in a hushed tone. "Don't have time for any lengthy goodbyes right now."

_Goodbyes?_

Harry tried to twist his head around to see Draco but he only met the faces of Susan and Dean. They hurried him out the large oak and metal doors to a row of benches against the wall of the outside of the courtroom. Neville helped set Harry down carefully on the first bench to the left of the door as Ron took a spot next to him. Hermione plopped down hard next to Ron with an anxious sigh. Susan, Neville, Dean and Seamus stood in a semi-circle around Harry, fidgeting and swaying back and forth in anticipation. Mr. and Mrs. Weasly stood off to the side on the right side of the doors. Percy stood with them, but did not utter a word.

Harry tried to listen against the door to hear anything being said, but it was quiet enough to be soundproof. He sighed and turned back towards his friends.

"What happened? What did I miss?" he asked hoarsely, coughing a few times.

"Doesn' look good, mate." Seamus answered back. Susan smacked his arm and glared at him.

"No, Seamus is right." Hermione said quietly. "Harry should know."

"Know what?" he questioned, his eyebrows drawn in worry. Hermione sighed as her head dropped slightly.

"You know as well as I do that Fudge is very good at manipulation, Harry. He timed it almost perfectly so, just as Draco was coming to, he jumped on him with question after question. Draco was so delirious from all that had happened he couldn't answer most of the questions straight. He fumbled. And the jury bought it. He managed to make Draco look even worse than the _Daily Prophet_ described."

Harry exhaled a short, quick breath and shook his head. "But he questioned you guys, didn't he? That must have helped a little bit, didn't it?" His eyes shifted from one friend to another, each refusing to meet Harry's pleading stare.

"You have to understand, Harry," Hermione continued, "Fudge is an expert at this. He's been doing interrogations like this for a very long time. Everyone started out well, but somehow he managed to twist our words around to only prove his side."

Harry dropped his head into his hands. He felt Ron's hand lightly on his back.

"We tried, mate. Really, we did."

Tears began to form under Harry's closed eyelids which only frustrated and annoyed him.

"So, what, they don't want anything from me? Don't I count in any of this? Why can't I speak for Draco's side?"

Hermione bit her lip and leaned towards him. "I'm afraid that was Fudge's doing. He convinced the majority of the jury to not count your testimony because of your relationship with Draco. He said it would be 'far too biased for a case of this importance'."

Harry clenched his fists as his hatred toward Fudge boiled to a level he didn't know existed.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" he growled. Hermione shrugged her shoulders sadly.

"Just wait."

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I proooomise that the last few chapters will be uploaded much much quicker than this one was! Thanks for sticking with me, guys!!


	26. The Deciding Factor

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

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**Draco Malfoy's point of view**

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My head was swimming as the guard unchained my hands and feet. I carefully rested my arms on my knees and hunched over. The pain of moving was severe and I felt like I was going to be sick. I kept my eyes fixed on the glossy floor to try and retain control. At least the room has stopped spinning after the first hour of waking up.

Those bastards. Don't even have the decency to give me a second to recover after who knows how long of being unconscious.

My hands started shaking. The slow burning feeling of the blood rushing to my fingers was bearable, but still not pleasant. My skin looked unnaturally white, even to me. How did they expect me to fight fairly for my own life if I barely had the energy to stand?

I shook my head. Of course. They didn't. They purposely did this so I couldn't fight. There wasn't a chance in hell that I could be convincing enough in this state to pull a majority to vote for my side. I could fake my way through this, seem stronger than I was, but no way could I make my words effective enough. I was hardly able to begin to get my thoughts in order and prepare myself.

Another wave of nausea hit me and I gritted my teeth to try and keep my stomach in check. This was impossible. At this rate, I would end up speaking against my whole defense.

_At least Fudge is gone…_

The reminder almost made me smile. The quick-tongued oaf was banned from the trial. At least the judge had some sense of justice within him. Perhaps the jury did too. I slowly lifted my head up towards the members of the courtroom. Right away several of them turned and gave me looks of great disdain. Fuck.

Almost too quickly, the room was emptied. I didn't even notice Harry leaving. I wondered what he was doing…what he was thinking…what he was going through knowing that his boyfriend was about to be carted off to rot in Azkaban. I shook my head. He should have listened to me. He should have taken my offer back in the Weasly's bathroom. He should have left. I should have let him go. I should have fucking thought of someone else for a change. But no, now I'm about to cause a lifetime of pain to the only person who gave a shit about me. And the only person I really cared about.

A sigh escaped me and I immediately cringed. My chest felt like it had been beaten on for hours. I flexed my hands. Anger, pain and guilt meshed together within me. At this point, I decided there were only two options for me: argue my defense until my voice was gone, or give up now and just accept my defeat.

I couldn't pick which option was better. That's never a good sign.

"Mr. Malfoy? Are you ready to present your closing argument?"

I looked up at the judge and suddenly realized how quiet it had become. Every judgmental eye of the jury was on me. My forehead creased at the burning feeling of their labels, their assumptions.

I silently dropped my head again. Did I honestly think I had a chance to convince them to let me go free?

Suddenly, my mind brought me back to yesterday, crouching behind that statue in Knockturn Alley, Harry in tears. I had never seen him so broken or so afraid. The way he was looking at me...those emerald eyes filled with a kind of hurt I hadn't known before. My body stiffened. Could I really be so selfish to do that to him again? Then, the night before played in my head.

I would fight. Harry deserved at least that from me.

"Mr. Malfoy." The judge's stern voice flooded the room.

I closed my eyes to compose myself and tried to stand. My legs immediately gave way. I fell back hard up against the back of the chair.

"All defendants must stand and address the council with their closing argument."

_Fuck you. _

I took a second on the chair, letting my breaths go through me in slow, steady intervals. I wouldn't fall to them so easily.

Using the chair for support, I made to stand up again. My knees and hands shook uncontrollably but I was able to get myself upright. As I steadied myself, my heart pounding painfully in my chest, I heard distinct whispers from the council. Trying to focus my blurring vision, I glanced up at my audience. A few witches sitting together were commenting to each other and shaking their heads in disapproval, while several wizards just stared down at me with smirks on their faces.

Call it the Malfoy sense of pride, but this only powered my want to prove them wrong. To prove all those bastards wrong.

I stood myself up as straight as possible in a stance very similar to that of my father's. One slow step at a time I made my way to the center of the courtroom. I forced my motions to seem fluid, giving the appearance that I was stronger than they thought. I couldn't have felt more to the contrary. The floor swayed and blurry black dots took over the path in front of me. I couldn't tell if I was in the center of the room or not. It didn't matter. This would have to do. If I tried to move forward any more, I might not make it.

I closed my eyes and breathed calmly through my nose until I felt my head clear. I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the floor until the black specks evaporated from my vision. The muscles in my hands felt weak and I realized they had been tightly clenched the whole time. I flexed them, cooling myself down. If there was one thing I had to remember, it was to keep my anger in check.

I looked up at the faces who would decide my fate.

The judge nodded at me. "Mr. Draco Malfoy will now give his closing argument" he announced with a turn of his head to the jury. Those members of the jury who had been whispering to each other immediately moved their full attention on me. I could feel the pressure building as every pair of eyes focused on me, glaring at me.

I took a deep breath and began in the steadiest voice I could muster.

"Members of the jury, the Ministry, your Honor, I know the Malfoys haven't acquired the best reputation in the wizarding world. We aren't known for our honesty, we think very highly of ourselves, and we are loyal to no one except those within our own family. We're corrupt and will side with whoever holds the most cards."

I saw most of the jury members nod along and smirk in agreement. It was clear the Malfoys were not a favorite among this crowd, but already grabbing them in agreement with me was a good start. I continued.

"I will not deny that in the past and for most of my life I have followed this Malfoy stereotype, but there is one thing that has set me apart from the mold." I paused to stare as fiercely as I could back at the jury. "I know when enough is enough."

"For as long as I can remember, my father has always strived for more, never quite satisfied with what he had because someone always had a better offer. He would do whatever it took to gain that little bit of ground to feel that much more superior to the rest. And when he didn't get it? Well, I'm sure you all know what happens when a Malfoy doesn't get their way."

Murmurs filtered through my audience. Something inside of me was twisting painfully at having to speak not only against my father, but against the whole Malfoy name. I tried to suppress it and focus on my words flowing smoothly. I would not be brought to an end for something I didn't do.

"I know you all are familiar with why my father did what he did. It was out of outrage. He didn't take into account what his actions might cost him. He was so blinded by the greed that had taken over his world he failed to see what was happening right in front of him. That is something that separates me from the rest. I can see the future and immediate consequences of my actions and can be content with where I am in life. I used to be like my father, letting my thirst for a higher social status get in the way of what I really wanted. But no more."

My voice was gaining power as I stood more confidently behind my words.

"You can't deny this is true. Would I have shamed my family otherwise in accepting who I am and declaring myself a homosexual? Would I have disgraced the Malfoy name in choosing The-Boy-Who-Lived as the person worthy of my affection? I did not choose him for the fame, the wealth, the boost in wizarding status. I chose him because I cannot imagine a day going by not waking up by his side. And when we're not together I spend most of my time wondering if he's alright or if he's gotten himself into yet another magical mess. It may be hard for you to wrap your minds around it, but I do love him. And, for some unimaginable reason, he loves me too. If you honestly believe someone coming from that sort of family background and being able to pull away and exhibit this kind of vulnerable adoration for another could kill a Muggle so bluntly without thinking, then you must harvest a very strong hatred for the name Malfoy. However, if you're willing to let that get in the way of a fair and deserving sentence, then maybe you're not so different from my family after all."

A few soft gasps followed my ending. It was a risky thing to say, I knew that. But it would certainly give them something to think about. The judge held up a hand and all whispers ceased.

"Members of the jury, you have heard the closing argument. Now you must take all the evidence into consideration when making your decision. Are you prepared to make a verdict?" They all turned toward him and nodded. "Very well. All in favor of a guilty sentence?"

I dropped my head as the hands began to pierce the air, closing my eyes. As strong as I was before, I couldn't bare to see how large the majority would be.

"All those opposed?"

My heart was pounding. This was it. I couldn't get Harry's face out of my mind. Harry…_I love you_.

A harsh pounding on the courtroom doors startled me so badly I jumped and whipped around. The doors flung open and a thin man with tiny glasses jogged quickly through the doors. He made his way up to the podium, out of breath.

"There's…there's someone here…someone wants to offer his testimony to the Malfoy case."

The judge rubbed his temple and sighed. "Mr. Malfoy has already delivered his final statement and the jury has reached their decision. We can't allow anymore evidence to the case."

The thin man nodded furiously as his breaths came noisily. "Yes…I know what the procedure is, but…I really think you should let this…person speak."

"Just bring him in!" the judge snapped angrily.

The man below jumped and ran back out of the room. Minutes later, three large bodyguard-like wizards brought in a haggard looking man in chains. I looked at the man in disgust. He was covered in dirt and his clothes were torn and worn. His face was hidden as he kept his head bowed. His long blonde hair was tangled and disheveled.

Then, something struck me and my jaw dropped. He raised his head to look at me. My heart stopped altogether, aching at the sight of the man in front of me. As those dead silver eyes looked straight into mine, he blurred out of focus from the tears welling up and flowing freely down my face.

"…Father?"

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	27. It Is Done

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter

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Last chapter guys! So sorry it took so freaking long to put it up. It's these dang professors, I tell ya! Always giving me stuff to do! So yeah, thank you guys so much for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it! P.S. I have a surprise in the author's note, so make sure you check it out! ;) oh and cause it's the last chapter, won't you be kind and leave a review? Tell me what you thought of the story overall! I love all kinds of feedback. Doesn't always have to be positive, but do be nice about it :) Thanks!

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Time seemed to crawl at a glacial pace for everyone waiting outside the courtroom doors. Seamus had fallen asleep on the floor, his head resting on a pillar. Dean, Neville and Susan were sitting on the floor next to him in silence after losing interesting in forcing conversation. Across from them on a bench sat an equally silent Hermione, staring off into space. Ron sat next to her on the bench, slouching so he was reclined with his head against the wall and his eyes closed. Harry was bent over next to him on the edge of the bench. His head was bowed, elbows resting on his knees, palms pressed together and his fingers drumming dully against each other rhythmically. Mr. and Mrs. Weasly were sitting on the bench on the opposite end of the large doors. Mrs. Weasly had conjured up some yarn and knitting needles to keep herself occupied. Mr. Weasly sat straight up with his arms crossed over his chest, only moving to change leg positions. Percy had left without a word a while ago. His departure certainly helped the atmosphere become a little more comfortable.

Harry suddenly sat up and grabbed Ron's wrist for the thousandth time to check his watch. Ron didn't even flinch at the contact, it only being about a minute since the last time Harry checked.

_2 hours 14 minutes. _

Harry sighed and dropped back to his original position. The two hours seemed like a lifetime, especially after they had seen Lucius escorted into the courtroom. Not knowing what his purpose was there, the tension in the air grew thicker to a point of mental suffocation. Harry thought he very well might go crazy if something didn't happen soon. He despised waiting. He hated not being able to do anything to help the situation. The uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn't going to stop eating away at him until someone shed some light on what was going on with Draco.

_Draco…_

Just the thought of his name made him catch his breath and a lump form in his throat. He slipped his glasses off with one hand, rubbing his eyes with the other. The physical and emotional stress of the past few days had worn him down significantly, but the thought of trying to sleep now was almost a joke.

The sudden creak of the large courtroom doors opening almost gave Harry a heart attack as he leapt to his feet. Neville nudged Seamus and he jolted awake. Everyone seemed to stand at the same time, silently facing in the same direction. Ron and Hermione quickly took their places on either side of Harry. He didn't notice how audible his breathing was until Hermione took his hand in hers. He wanted to give her some sort of reassurance that he was ok, but he could barely manage to keep himself from looking petrified. As the first wizard escort exited through the doors, Harry suddenly realized that maybe he should have been using the 2 hours preparing himself for the worst.

Harry held his breath as he saw Draco's platinum blonde hair move past the door and into view. Every anxious body in the room tensed as the first and second escorts continued down the hallway and out of sight, leaving Draco to face his awaiting audience. Taking a breath Harry moved to stand by Draco, but flinched and froze as his eyes met damp silver ones. His stomach was churning from the racing and stopping of his heart, his palms slick in anticipation.

_Say it…just say it…_

Almost as in a response to Harry's thoughts, Draco straightened and drew up his chin, blinking back the few tears that had threatened release. He took a deep breath and turned his head away from Harry, facing the area the rest of the group stood.

"…They let me go" he whispered hoarsely.

Harry just stood there for a second, dumbfounded, until realization set it with a loud gasp.

"Oh!" he cried out as he launched himself into his boyfriend's arms. There was a sudden bustle of noise behind him as a wave of relief washed over everyone. They all started talking at once and running up to the pair to congratulate Draco. Smiles were a mile wide across everyone's face as they laughed together and noisily expressed their relief. Harry didn't hear any of this as he clutched Draco's body to his own, letting the tears of joy run freely down his face. Draco stayed in his spot silently, one arm tightly around Harry's waist, the other soothingly stroking his hair. He nodded occasionally to those around him with a small half smile.

A hurried hush fell over the celebrators as two more escorts made their way out the courtroom doors, Lucius close behind them. Draco gently pulled Harry off of him so he could turn and watch his father walk past. Their eyes met and locked as Lucius was ushered away. Neither man's expression changed. They just watched the other shrink as the distance between them increased, their faces void of expression but Draco's heavy with respect. Then Lucius broke the contact and turned away, disappearing through the door at the end of the hallway. Harry's heart broke for him, knowing how hard it must have been for Draco to see his father and have him taken away again.

"I'm sorry…" he began, but stopped as Draco subtly shook his head.

"I'm not" he murmured, still staring at the closed door his father was taken through.

A moment of silence passed before Draco turned and faced Harry again, flashing him his favorite smirk. A grin broke out across Harry's face and he wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, pulling him into a tender kiss. Draco responded with a content sigh. The kiss was broken when Draco stumbled forward a step.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked worriedly. Draco straightened himself up again.

"Fine" he replied in a breathy huff. "It's been a long day."

Harry nodded and kissed his forehead. "At least it's over. We can go home."

A curt laugh issued from Draco. Harry looked at him questioningly.

"I've been sentenced to 16 months under house arrest," Draco answered, shooting a glare into the courtroom, "just to make sure I don't go out on a killing spree or some bullshit like that. And to top it all off, my wizarding license has been suspended for 10 months."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at how pissed off Draco was. He knew it was just to cover up how thrilled he was deep down. "Small price to pay for keeping your life."

Draco sighed angrily. "Yeah, I know. Sacrifice a little to gain a lot. But what the bloody hell am I supposed to do with myself without magic for 10 months? And even when I can use it again, I still have another 6 to go looking at the same bloody mess you call an apartment! What am I going to do? Conjure up little gnomes and talking animals to keep me company? I think not!"

A chuckling Harry pressed his forehead against Draco's. "Don't worry, Cinderella. You forget that I'm going to be there with you too."

Draco placed his hands on Harry's waist and pulled him closer. "Oh yeah? Just what good are you?"

"I could make it the most interesting 16 months ever" Harry whispered deeply in his ear with a grin.

Draco looked up at him, his silver eyes stone cold with seriousness. "I'm holding you to that."

Harry picked up his meaning and hugged him close, lips pressed against his head. "You have my word" he promised into blonde stands of hair. "Nothing can take me away from you now."

A cough from behind reminded the pair that they weren't alone. As Harry reluctantly pulled away, he was quickly replaced by Hermione grabbing Draco into a quick hug.

"I knew you wouldn't give up without a fight" she giggled. Draco patted her back.

"I suppose you know me better than I'd like" he teased.

Hermione just smiled and shook her head. "You're never going to change, are you Draco?"

"Not in this lifetime" he winked. Harry raised an eyebrow at his sudden relaxed and buddy-like behavior. Draco glanced back at him and shrugged. He'd been kidnapped, beaten, forced to defend his life and gaining his freedom all in one day. He would act however he pleased.

Ron was next in line to personally offer his congratulations. He shuffled his feet awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. Draco just stared at him. Finally, Ron stuck his hand out, turning a little pink. Draco shook his hand firmly, making a point not to draw away too quickly.

"Glad to have you back, Malfoy." Ron finally managed to say, tripping over his words a little. Draco nodded.

"Thank you."

Ron shrugged and backed up a few steps behind Harry, his face going red.

One by one everyone in the group shook Draco's hand and chatted lightly with him. All too soon, one of the members of the jury came out of the courtroom to confront Draco.

"Just as a reminder, Mr. Malfoy, we will be sending someone to check in on you periodically during your sentence. We hope you will not disappoint us."

"No sir, I hope I won't either." Draco glared back. He had been one of the wizards who voted him guilty.

Harry took Draco's hand in his. "C'mon love. Let's go home." Draco groaned.

"I'm not required to be home until midnight. Let's go out and do something."

Harry laughed in disbelief. "Are you kidding? Draco I can see how exhausted you are! You need some sleep!"

"I can sleep for 16 months straight if I have to. Please?" he begged, pouting his lips a bit. Harry sighed and shook his head in surrender.

"Alright, fine. What time is it?"

"Almost 5pm" Ron answered. "You know, our brooms might still be in that dumpster up on the street…" Harry whipped around.

"That's right! I forgot we left them there." He turned back to Draco, grinning. "What do you say? One last fly before you're stuck on the ground? Can't think of anything more freeing than that."

"Sounds perfect" Draco grinned.

Together they walked down the hallway and out through the Ministry building. No more running, no more hiding. Free of fears they exited the Ministry of Magic feeling like all the weight in the world had been lifted from their shoulders, erasing all memory of the night before.

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	28. Author's Note

Alrighty guys! The first three chapters of the prequel are up! I know it's not a lot to start you guys out on, but I thought I'd put them up anyway to see what you guys think!

It's probs silly to add another author's note here, but I wanted to make sure y'all found out about it as soon as I put up the chapters, sooo yeah! Go forth and read it! It's called Dreams Awaken so go find it on my profile and enjoy! And tell me what you think! In a review on that story, not here…although I suppose that's a given.

Hope you like it!! :)

~ Nature'sAngel


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